


The Secrets Within Ourselves

by SquemonWrites



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Parents, Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Anxiety, Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Comfort, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Experiments, F/F, F/M, Frost Lance, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gay, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Panic, Hurt Lance (Voltron), I Don't Even Know, I will probably add more tags as I go, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Insecurity, It isn’t too bad but still, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) Whump, Lance (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance gets wrecked multiple times, Lance is a villain, Lance's father is a villain, M/M, OH YEAH A SCHOOL SHOOTING BE CAREFUL KIDS, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Pain, Panic Attacks, Pidge is a bird, School Shootings, Suffering, Superhero keith, Superheroes, They Are Idiots, Villain Lance (Voltron), Whump, everyone is basically gay, good luck, im sorry, powers, superhumans, uhhhh, villain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2019-09-06 03:24:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 35,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16824139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquemonWrites/pseuds/SquemonWrites
Summary: Lance McClain and Keith Kogane both have their secrets. Lance pursues a life of crime through his secret identity, Frost, while Keith is a hero known as Slate. But, when the two turn out to be roommates in high school, the drama begins to unravel.Loosely inspired by @momozerii on instagram!





	1. Collisions

**Author's Note:**

> I actually began working on this story a while back, but then I decided to delete it off Ao3 while I was still trying to complete it on Wattpad. If you want to read ahead, it is by the same username and title on there. Hope you enjoy the story!

Lance had never been normal. His whole life turned upside down the first time he felt the snow.  
He figured out powers he wasn't aware of until.... That one day.   
He hadn't exactly planned to pursue crime through his secret identity. But after his first robbery, he knew that he couldn't turn back.   
But that isn't the full story.  
In normal day to day life, Lance was Lance. He didn't go by his villain name, Frost. He was identified as Lance McClain, a Cuban boy with a large family who partially relied on him to support them. Maybe that was another reason he chose crime. His father was usually out of the house doing secret gang work, and his mother faced slight depression. People thought of him as a kind hearted person, and he wished he could believe it himself. Deep down, he knew he could never repay what he has done, the people he left injured, (he rarely killed people) and the money and priceless things stolen.   
But, life was life, and he just had to deal with it.

On the other hand, Keith grew up knowing about his abilities. He is a well known hero who went by the name of "Slate." Keith grew up in many foster homes, figuring out his abilities as he aged. He was known as Keith Kogane in normal life. Without his powers, he was just a lost teenager, like any other. Just like Lance, Keith had not originally planned to be a superhero. But, with his abilities, he believed he should put them to good use. He finally was recognized when out fighting crime. Maybe that's why he continued.

Both boys were beginning to start high school at a boarding school. But what they didn't know, was that they would be roommates.

* * *

Lance silently slipped outside into the night. It was his last day of summer before school started, so he guessed he could put it to some use. He had been meaning to get some cash, since his daytime job hadn't been paying well.   
_Screw that job_ , he thought bitterly as he jumped from roof to roof, his glittering blue body glowing under the pale moonlight.   
He slowed as he reached the bank.   
Tonight will be fun.  
Leaping onto the bank's roof, Lance located the safe room. It wasn't the first time Lance had robbed this particular bank. Letting his arm transform into a long blade, Lance began to saw through the wall on the side of the building.   
  
Little did he know, a pair of yellow eyes was watching him from the shadows of another nearby building's roof.

As soon as Lance broke through the wall, he cautiously maneuvered around motion detectors and cameras, freezing both in the process. Acting quickly, Lance reached a safe. He pulled down his face mask, revealing his icy lips. With an inhale, he blew out frost, freezing the door to a point where it broke from the metal contraction. He pulled off the door, and then stuffed the money inside in a bag.  
Lance was almost clear until he turned the corner.   
  
There, Slate stood, tail swishing back and fourth.   
  
Lance felt a smile grow on his face, yet it wasn't visible due to the mask covering half his face.  
"Well well, I didn't expect you to be out tonight, Frost." Slate said, folding his arms.   
However, Lance could see his claws retract.   
Lance put a hand on a hip, the bag of money still slung over his shoulder.   
"Nor did I."   
A grin captured Slate's lips, and his ears raised. He pretended to just notice the money Lance had in the bag.   
"Where do you think your going with that?"  
Lance replied, "Are you going to try and stop me? That's a shame. I honestly thought that I could get away without a fight."   
Lance could see Slate stiffen, yet he stayed in the same pose, faintly smiling.   
"Well, that _is_ my job. Maybe you had your hopes up too high. Of course, if you don't want a fight, you could just hand over that bag."  
Lance sighed. "Sorry kitty, there ain't no rest for the wicked."   
  
Without any further conversation, Lance transformed his arm into a sword-like weapon and attacked. Slate dodged, but his claws scraped against Lance's arm.   
Blood quickly began to surface, scarlet red contrasting with icy blue. As Slate watched the process for a moment, Lance took the distraction as an advantage, and used his powers to freeze Slate's hand.   
Obviously surprised, Slate took a second, breaking the ice against the wall before lunging at Frost.   
  
The two wrestled on the ground, until Lance managed to shove Slate off. Before they could recover, Lance kicked his opponent hard, causing the over-sized cat to fall against a wall.   
Lance didn't waste a single second.   
The next moment, Slate was pinned against the wall in an ice trap, his whole body stuck except his head. Lance, aware of his victory, walked forward, slinging the bag over his shoulder in triumph.   
He leaned forward, letting his icy eyes meet Slate's amber yellow eyes.   
"Better luck next time, darling."  
Slate frowned and growled, "This isn't fair."   
Lance laughed and walked toward the broken wall.   
"Life _isn't_ fair, kitty."   
Before leaving, Lance broke the ice on the security cameras and the motion detectors, setting them off in the process.   
"So your little cop friends can help."  
"Very thoughtful." Slate said with flattened ears.   
Lance stepped on the ledge, but before he jumped, he turned and said, "Sorry it had to end so soon, but, you know, priorities are priorities."   
With that, Lance leapt backwards out the window, then caught himself by creating a slide of ice.   
Frost disappeared into the night, leaving Slate alone, stuck in a trap of ice, listening to the faint sound of police sirens grow closer and closer.

It took a long time to get out of the ice after Frost's robbery. Once Keith got out, he knew Frost would be long gone.   
Frustration seeped through him as he got back home, ignoring his mother as he marched upstairs.   
Stripping the top of the suit off, he watched as his purple body began to turn back to normal, his ears slowly transforming back into human ears.   
Keith sighed, trembling at the sensation before putting his suit back in it's hiding spot.   
The dark haired boy got ready for bed, trying to warm up by bundling up in the warm comforter.  
He wondered what the next day would bring. He was going to go to boarding school, which meant it might be harder to sneak out every night.  
He would just have to make do.  
  


The next morning, Keith woke up to his mother knocking lightly on the door.   
"Keith? It's time to go. We need to get there early so you have time to situate your dorm."  
Keith groaned in response, signalling he heard her. He sat in bed for a few minutes after she left, feeling sore from last night.  
After building up enough will to get up, Keith walked downstairs and helped load his things in the car. And, after eating a few Eggo waffles, they hit the road.

Little did he know his whole life was about to change.  
  


Keith walked to his dorm, his mother dropping him off. Usually the student's parents would come in and check out their child's dorm, but Keith knew his mom was a busy person. She didn't have time. Not that he cared, anyway.  
Keith looked at the name of his roommate.  
  
_Lance McClain_.  
  
Keith wondered what he would be like. He sighed and opened the door, disappointingly finding an empty room.  
 _No problem_ , Keith thought. He placed his suitcases and duffle bag on the bed, and hid his suit in a bag at the back of his closet. Keith looked down at his phone, reading 9:50 AM. His roommate probably would be here soon, since the main check in time started at 10:00. In the meantime he texted his friend, Pidge.

_**Keith:** Hey, are you here yet?_

It only took a second for a response.

_**Pidge:** No, I will be there around 10:30 or so. Have you met your roommate yet?_

_**Keith:** No, but he should be here soon._

Keith began to unpack his other bags, and situated his bed. A few minutes after situating the red comforter, Keith heard a knock.   
"Come in," Keith called, and looked up to see who it was.

Right off the bat, Keith noticed a few things about his roommate.

First off, Lance McClain was _attractive_.   
He was a tall Cuban boy with deep blue eyes and messy brunette hair. Keith looked away quickly, realizing Lance may get the impression he was staring.   
"Hey." The Cuban boy said, placing his things on his own bed.

_Did Keith recognize that voice?_

Keith replied, "Hey, you're Lance, right?"   
The boy nodded. "Yup. And I'm guessing you're Keith?"

_That voice definitely was familiar, but Keith didn't know where from._

"Y-Yeah, that's me."  
Lance smiled, and Keith felt blush creep up on his face. Why did his roommate have to be so _cute_?! That made everything worse!  
  
Lance began to unpack his own things, and Keith couldn't help but ask, "Who dropped you off?"   
Lance shrugged.  
"My family, but they didn't come in because my sister got sick in the car on the way here."  
There was silence between the two before Lance asked, "How about you?"  
"My mom."  
"I'm surprised she's not still here," Lance chuckled. "Most parents love pestering their kids on how the dorm should look, how the kids should organize it. It's a nightmare."  
"My mom is too busy for that, and honestly I don't know if she cares that much to do that. I don't know. She's a cop. She has a lot to do."  
  
Lance sighed. Keith looked up at Lance while he was looking away. Lance's face looked saddened and distant for a moment, like he was lost in some memory. But, as quick as Keith noticed it, the emotion was gone.   
Lance walked to the bathroom and began to set up his things, leaving Keith to sit, alone.   
Lance came back a few minutes later with a smirk on his face.   
"What's making you so happy?"  
Lance leaned on the, doorway, his hand on his hip.   
"I'm planning on pranking my friend. He's gonna be arriving soon and is at the end of the hall."   
Keith rolled his eyes, loosing interest.   
"Well, good luck with that, don't count on me to help you."   
Lance's eyes sparkled in amusement. "Grumpy, much?"   
Keith grunted, pulling out his phone.   
"Don't want to get involved is more like it."  
"Well, fine. I will leave you and your stupid mullet alone, then." Keith looked up at the doorway as Lance left.   
  
_What was it about Lance that was so oddly familiar_?


	2. First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Keith and Lance adjust to school life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the story is going to get a lot better further on, and it will be much longer. It is also almost complete on Wattpad if you want to continue reading it there. Thanks!

Lance's prank had succeeded. He had placed two balloons behind the door so they would pop when his friend opened the door. The reaction was beyond priceless. Hunk looked as if he would have a heart attack.  
Now, Lance lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.   
He couldn't sleep.   
He shifted in restlessness, trying to find a comfortable position. After a few failed attempts, Lance sighed and got up. As he crept toward the door, he snatched a hoodie, then retreated down the dim hallway.   
Keith had watched the boy leave the room, but decided it was best to leave him be.

Lance sat on the roof of the school building for a while, staring up at the sky, the air crisp with cold. Lance didn't mind all that much. After all, he did deal with ice.  
Lance let out a long sigh, closing his eyes.   
Some days he wished he was ordinary. But he wasn't normal, and he would never _be_ normal.   
The boy looked back down at his hand and watched it carefully as he began to turn it the frosty blue color. The blue crept along his arm, and he touched the pipes, causing a thin layer of frost to cover it.   
Lance let out a shaky breath and made his way back inside.   
He had enough of his powers.

By the time he reached the dorm, he was slightly tired, and he crawled in bed. His drowsiness settled in, and only a few minutes passed before he let sleep claim him.

Lance awoke the next morning to his alarm.   
It was his first day of school.   
With a yawn, the brunette looked over at Keith, who was stretching.   
"Morning," Lance muttered, getting up. He threw on his clothes and brushed his teeth, getting ready for the day.   
"What's your first class?" Keith asked nonchalantly.   
"Math." Lance said as he got his bag.   
"Ah," The dark haired boy grunted, and Lance looked over to him. "What, does Keith want to be in the same class as Lancy Lance?" "No..?" Keith protested, and Lance snickered.   
He sort of liked the boy, even if he was super emo and he had a mullet.   
The Cuban boy began to walk out of the room, and Keith followed close behind, catching up soon enough.  
"I'm stopping at the dining hall for a snack."  
"Good idea."  
So, before separating for class, the two went to the hall for some food. After that, they parted, finding their classes.

It turned out Lance and Keith had Spanish and PE together. PE was broken down into different categories. Lance chose to do gymnastics, while Keith chose to do combatives.

Overall, the day went fine.   
By the time Lance got back to the dorm, he was exhausted. He kicked off his shoes and flopped down on the bed.   
A knock aroused him a few moments later, and he looked over to the door.  
"Come in."  
To Lance's surprise, it wasn't Keith, it was Hunk.   
"Hey buddy," Lance yawned, and Hunk walked over to the bed. "Hey Lance, what's up? How was your first day here?"  
Lance shrugged. "It was alright. I can't wait to get started in gymnastics."   
Hunk smiled knowing Lance was talented in that subject. Being extremely flexible had it's advantages.  
"I was planning to head out to town to get some food from the supermarket, wanna come?"   
Lance shrugged.   
"Why not?" He smiled.   
He put on his shoes again, and as they were headed out, they ran into Keith in the hallway.   
"Oh, hey Keith," Lance greeted.   
The boy looked over and asked, "Where are you going?"  
"To the supermarket in town."   
Keith nodded. "Well, I will be here."

Lance and Hunk walked to the store and stocked up on supplies. As Lance emerged from the candy section, Hunk burst out laughing. Lance was struggling to carry the multiple candy bars and bags. As he was halfway to the checkout, he dropped half of the things he was carrying.   
"Huuuunk!" Lance whined, drawing out the U.   
Hunk sighed, but a smile was creeping along his face.   
"Honestly Lance, do you really need all this?"   
Determined, Lance replied, "Yes!"   
He finally made it to the register, and the lady working gave Lance an odd look. But, she put all the candy in the bag, and handed Lance his change.   
"Seventeen dollars spent on _cand_ y, Lance."   
Lance just broke out into more laughing, opening a bag of high-chews.   
Maybe everything would turn out okay.


	3. The Things Unexplained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is surprised by Lance's hidden talent. Pidge is questioning if she's seen Lance somewhere before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for not updating in a long time, I completely forgot lol. (I have the almost completed story on Wattpad.) 
> 
> Also I am sorry the chapters are so short right now, as the story progresses they get longer, I promise.

The next few days went by in a blur for Keith as he tried to get used to the school.   
During the day he had many different encounters with Lance, the boy still striking him with that same, odd feeling that he knew him from somewhere.

Keith had been working on combatives, and now was given a small break to relax. As he looked over to the gymnastics area, he noticed that the group had been gathered by the uneven bars, and Keith assumed that the gymnastics group was focusing on that unit at the moment. Keith strained his ears to hear the conversation.

"...here we have the uneven bars. We will be working with these, trampoline, and balance beam for a while. You must attempt all activities at some point. Now, before we move on, who would like to give the bars a try?"  
Keith watched as a few student's hands shot up, and he recognized Lance's arm raised as well.   
The teacher picked a medium sized blonde girl, who strode over to the bars. She managed to preform one simple loop around the shorter bar. She landed, and with a proud smirk, she went back to her group of friends.   
"Very nice. How about you?"   
Keith leaned forward, seeing Lance step forward onto the mat.   
He was one of the only boys in the class, to Keith's surprise.

Lance took a small breath, then ran and used the springboard to jump to the bar. Keith's breath caught in his throat as he watched Lance.

That boy was damn _skilled_.

He had no struggle spinning around the bar, doing a form of the splits in mid air.   
Keith held his breath again as Lance did a few turns while looping around the bar, then let go, flying in the air to do a trick.  
Obviously the teacher was surprised, because he was cheering Lance on.   
By then, other boys and girls from Keith's class paused to watch. Lance swung to the lower bar, then back to the higher bar. A few moments passed before he finally did a flip off the bar, landing perfectly.   
The whole class was cheering, and the coach patted the Cuban boy on the back. Keith smiled, still amazed.   
"That dude is crazy! What's his name?" Someone asked, and Keith couldn't help it. He turned around.  
"That's my roommate, Lance McClain."   
Their jaw dropped.   
" _Roommate_?"   
Keith nodded, feeling a small surge of pride.   
  
Roommate.

When class ended, Keith went to find Lance.   
He found him wiping his face with a towel, and Keith couldn't help but blush. He hesitated, and then Lance looked over to Keith. "Oh, hey Mullet."  
Keith frowned for a second at the nickname, that same feeling spiking in him for a second before vanishing.   
"H-Hey." Keith replied, walking over to Lance.   
"You uh, you looked really good doing the uneven bars."   
Lance smiled, and Keith noticed a hint of blush creeping on Lance's own cheeks.  
_Cute._  
"Aw, was Keith watching me?"   
Lance's voice was teasing, yet it made Keith smile.   
"Thanks," Lance shrugged, putting his towel in his locker before locking it.   
"Where did you learn to do that?" Keith asked as the two began to walk out of the locker room.   
Lance was quiet for a moment.   
"I used to do gymnastics as a kid, but then stopped. I usually practice in my free time."   
Keith nodded.   
"Wanna go get lunch?" Lance suggested.   
Keith was surprised - he thought that Lance would sit with his own friends. He knew he wasn't exactly the most interesting person in the world. Though Keith pondered this, he found himself following Lance to the cafeteria to get lunch before heading to the outside tables to eat.

Lance plopped down at the table, and Keith sat beside him. Keith had noticed people whispering as Lance and him walked to get lunch, news already spreading about Lance's stunt on the bars. Keith picked up his slice of pizza, examining it.   
"This is huge."   
Lance took a bite of his burrito, then replied,   
"Yeah."  
A dirty smirk.  
"You know what else is huge?"  
He didn't get to finish his joke, because just as soon as he asked, Pidge and Lance's friend came over.   
Thank god.  
"Oh, hey Hunk!" Lance smiled, then looked over to Pidge.   
"Who is this?"  
She smiled.   
"My name is Pidge."   
Lance shook Pidge's hand.   
"Lance, nice meeting you."   
Pidge looked over at Keith.   
"Looks like you two know each other."   
Keith took a glimpse at Lance.   
"Y-Yeah, we are roommates."   
Pidge and Hunk sat down, and Hunk said to Keith, "I'm Hunk. I know we saw each other yesterday, but we weren't introduced properly. Keith, right?"   
The black haired boy nodded, taking another bite of pizza.   
Pidge looked to Lance.   
"I heard you did some crazy thing during gymnastics?"   
Lance laughed.   
"Wow, I didn't think that people would find out that fast. Yeah, I did some tricks on the uneven bars. I mean, the teacher did ask for some volunteers, so why not?"   
Keith saw Pidge look at Lance in a quizzical stance, as if she was going to say something, but didn't. He planned to ask her later. "How did you two meet?" Keith asked Hunk and Pidge after a moment.   
"Chemistry and Algebra."

The group talked for a while longer, until everyone decided it was best to get to their classes.   
Keith liked the group.   
His doubts about making friends were quickly vanishing.   
After school, Keith went back the dorm to chill.   
When he got there, Lance was sitting on the edge of his bed, legs pulled close to his chest. He obviously wasn't expecting Keith to enter, because he immediately sat up and smiled weakly.   
"O-Oh! Hey Keith."   
Was that fear in Lance's eyes?   
Keith put his backpack down.   
"You alright?"   
Lance looked away.   
"Yeah. I'm fine."   
Keith glanced at the boy for a moment before pulling out his phone to check a text from Pidge.

 _ **Pidge**_ : _Hey, about Lance. Doesn't he look familiar or something? I swear I've seen him somewhere, I'm just not sure where."_


	4. A Murder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slate catches Frost redhanded.  
> Keith worries about Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing to say besides I have all the chapters on Wattpad but have been lazy posting. I am starting to work harder (I PROMISE) on posting as frequently as possible.

Keith sat on his bed for a while. Lance had went out to do something, and Keith had been hanging out watching the news on his laptop. However, he narrowed his eyes as a new news feed popped up. A break in at a drug market. Keith didn't hesitate. He threw on his suit and jumped out his window.  
Keith arrived soon enough, and walked into the store. It was dead silent, yet Keith could feel someone's presence. Keith caught movement from the corner of his eye. Two pairs of pale blue eyes flashed in the darkness.   
Keith narrowed his eyes.

"Frost." 

The pale boy stepped out of the shade, revealing himself.   
"Decided to finally show up?" He asked, voice taunting.   
Keith looked around, surveying the damage.  
"I suppose I'm too late."   
When Keith looked back at Frost, he saw something flash in the male's eyes. Keith realized that he was tightly clutching a wound on his side, blood seeping through his fingers.   
"You alright?" Keith asked, staring at the wound.   
"Fine. Why would you care?"   
Keith frowned.   
"I don't..."   
Keith then looked back up to meet Frost's gaze.  
"What were you planning here?"   
Frost was silent for a moment, looking down.  
"That's none of your business," He seethed at last.

For the first time Keith noticed the shopkeeper behind Frost. He was only halfway frozen, but he was obviously dead. Yet, there was no evidence of any stolen items.  
Keith narrowed his eyes.   
"I'm pretty sure it is my business. You don't usually like killing people, right? Why now?"   
Something in that sentence struck the pale blue boy, because his eyes looked glassy.   
There was something so much bigger going on that Keith didn't know about.  
He could tell.  
Frost took a breath, and instead of answering, began to make his way toward the entrance.

"Move."

Keith blocked him.   
"Not until you tell me why you came here. You didn't steal anything, and you are not someone who normally kills someone... unless-"   
Keith was cut short.   
Frost pulled down his mask and yelled, "I said, it's none of your damn business! Now move!"   
Keith felt a gust of cold air hit his face.   
He had never seen Frost without his mask on.   
Keith stared at Frost for a second.   
Something felt too familiar about him.   
He couldn't grasp it, not at this moment.  
Keith stood his ground, stepping forward slightly. Frost sighed, and when he spoke, his voice was surprisingly thick with... pain? Fear? Keith couldn't tell.

"I don't want to do this." 

Before Keith could react, Frost's free hand flew up, blasting Keith with ice. He flew back against the wall, once again trapped.   
Frost proceeded to the exit, but he turned around before leaving.  
"And Slate? Your're right - I don't like to kill people, but sometimes I don't have a choice."

Frost left after that.   
Police officers were yelling orders outside, and a gunshot was heard, but Keith knew that Frost had escaped.   
Again.  
Keith sighed. His success rate on missions was high, but why was it with Frost that he always seemed to end up in the same spot? Keith pondered Frost's intentions here, but nothing came. Whatever it was, Keith would find out, one way or another. 

By the time Keith broke free from the ice, it was around 8:00. Keith cursed silently, rubbing his arms to warm up.   
"How did Frost escape?" One of the officers came up to Keith, clipboard in hand.  
Without meeting the cop's gaze, Keith replied flatly, "He trapped me in an ice block. You better clear out the body in there."   
Without waiting for a response, Keith leaped up onto the roof. He was thankful for his increased jumping strength when he was in this form. It gave him the ability to quickly escape if needed.  
Keith jumped from roof to roof, a chilled breeze in the air as he made his way back to the dorm.  
He couldn't figure out what Frost felt so pained about. It was evident on his face that there was a sign of defiance, like he was forced into the job.  
It was something he would have to look into later, Keith supposed. Right now it was important to get back to the dorm before Lance grew concerned of his whereabouts.  
Yeah. That sounded like a plan.  
When Keith got back to his dorm, Lance luckily was asleep, yet his eyebrows were furrowed and he was shaking slightly.   
"Lance?" Keith whispered, but there was no response. The dark haired boy sighed, crawling in his own bed. 

Little did Keith know, Lance was shaking due to his wound that he was trying to ice with his hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It sucks how short I wrote the first few chapters, but as the story progresses it gets longer.


	5. New Challanges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith meets a new friend, and Lance struggles with his new wound.
> 
> Hunk is confused why Lance's hands are so cold, lol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a short chapter!

Lance woke up with a sharp pain in his side. He cursed under his breath, memories flashing back from the night before.  
The shopkeeper had kept a damn gun under the counter, and the first chance he got he fired at Lance.   
The Cuban boy looked over to Keith, who was nestled in his covers.   
From under his own covers, Lance turned his hand to ice and placed it against the wound, gritting his teeth at the icy impact. After a moment, he stood up to get ready.   
Lance's movements must have aroused Keith, because the black haired boy said sleepily, " G'morning..."  
Lance looked back at Keith, giving him a forced smile.  
"Get good sleep, mullet-boy?"  
Keith stretched before shrugging.   
Lance felt a small twinge in his stomach as he watched Keith. He was pretty cute when he was sleepy.  
"Eh, could have been better. You?"  
Lance looked away, his thoughts about Keith vanishing. His mind flashed to the multiple times he woke up during the night.   
"Could have been better," He echoed after a moment.

The two didn't speak very much after that.   
They walked in silence to their classes, and didn't talk during Spanish. Keith was secretly happy Lance was a fluent Spanish speaker, because he for one, was not.   
In the locker rooms for PE, Lance changed quickly, before grabbing his water bottle and heading out to the gym.  
Keith didn't get much of a change talk to Lance, which was okay, though he felt lonely without the boy's company.

* * *

The lesson was quite intense for Keith.   
The class was split into two sides, two one on one combat drills functioning at the same time.   
Keith faced his opponent.  
They were obviously one of the older students, and appeared to be extremely fit.   
The two got ready, and the PE teacher blew the whistle.   
They swiped out at Keith, but Keith dodged.   
They tried to strike again, but Keith ran forward and tackled them, pinning them to the ground.   
Keith breathed heavily as the two wrestled for a few moments, but finally gave up.   
The PE teacher split them up.   
Keith bent over to catch his breath before walking over to drink some water.   
Keith looked over to the gymnastics area, and was surprised to see Lance sitting on the side, mindlessly fiddling with his shoelaces. The gymnastics teacher walked over to Lance, and the two talked for a few minutes. Lance's face looked concerned, and the teacher was nodding. Then, they left Lance sitting on the bench.   
_Is Lance hurt? Or did he get in trouble?_ Keith thought with slight worry.   
Keith didn't realize his opponent had walked up to him until they spoke.   
"Who are you spying on?"  
Keith jumped to face them.   
"Wha- oh, no no I'm not-" Keith stammered, face growing hot with embarrassment.   
The taller boy laughed.  
"Relax, it was a joke."  
Then they held out a hand.  
"I'm Shiro."  
Keith smiled, shaking it.   
"Keith."

Shiro took a swig of his own water, his eyes darting to where Keith had been looking.   
"Were you looking at that gymnastics boy? What's his name... La-?"  
Keith cut him off.   
"Lance."   
Shiro nodded, smiling.   
"I saw him yesterday doing those crazy stunts on the bars. He's pretty talented."   
Keith looked down.   
"Yeah. He's my roommate. I was looking over at him because I uh... was a little worried about him."   
Shiro tilted his head slightly.   
"How come?"   
Keith shrugged, feeling a sudden blush creep up on his cheeks.   
"I don't know... He has been sitting on the side for a while. I think he may be hurt or in trouble."   
Shiro placed a hand on Keith's shoulder.   
"I'm sure he's fine."   
Keith looked back up at Shiro.   
"So, wanna go for another round?"

After PE ended, Keith was in the locker room changing, and couldn't help but glance at Lance as the boy was changing. Surprise struck him when Lance took off his shirt. Lance's waist was wrapped with gauz, and Keith could see some blood seeping through the bandage.   
Keith wanted to ask Lance what happened, but he realized that Lance may get the impression he was staring.   
Instead, Keith sighed, throwing on his shirt before leaving the building to meet Lance outside.

Before long, Lance walked out.   
"Hey Keith," He greeted with a warm smile.   
Keith felt his heart flutter, but he forced the arising feelings for the Cuban down. The two began to make their way toward their table.   
"I saw you sitting out today," Keith commented, a hint of questioning lathered in his voice.   
Lance stiffened, before replying in a casual tone, "Oh, yeah. I hurt myself yesterday while I was out. It isn't a big deal."   
Keith stared at Lance, who was staring forward.

_What was the boy hiding?_

Keith decided not to press on the subject. The two sat down, Pidge and Hunk joining them a while later. But, despite Lance's laughing, Keith could see his eyes darken with pain. Keith noticed Lance's hand had drifted to his wound a few times, but he didn't say anything.   
Keith hadn't been paying too much attention to the conversation until he heard Hunk exclaim in shock, "Lance your hands are _FREEZING_."   
Keith looked up, seeing Lance lean back with his hands in the air. Without hesitation, Pidge reached forward and grabbed Lance's hand. She immediately flinched, releasing Lance's hand.   
"What the actual f.... its really warm outside, how are you so cold?"   
Lance shrugged, yet he looked increasingly uncomfortable.   
"I- I don't know..."   
After a few silent moments, Lance stood up and stammered, "I uh, I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

The bell rang before Lance got back, forcing the group to separate. Keith couldn't focus during class. He was itching to figure out what it was about Lance that was making his suspicion grow.

After school, Keith and Lance were walking back to the dorm, discussing the day. Lance seemed back to his normal self, cracking jokes and teasing Keith.   
However, as they were getting close to the dorm, Lance's phone rang.   
Lance's laughter died down, and he looked at the caller ID.   
Lance stopped, turning pale.   
"What's wrong?" Keith asked with concern.   
Lance glanced at Keith.   
"Uhhh..."   
He looked back down at his phone, stress building in him.   
"I need to take this. I will meet you back at the dorm, okay?"   
Keith looked hesitant, but nodded.   
Lance ran off, answering his phone. Keith could hear Lance answer in Spanish.   
" _Hola_?"   
Who was on the phone that made Lance so terrified?


	6. What Can't Be Shared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gets a phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking about just spamming new chapters to get up to date to where I am with the book lol.

Lance crouched against a wall, hidden from public view. A deep, rough voice spoke from the phone.

"Great work at the drugstore, Frost."

Lance's heart pounded.

"Th-Thanks. I did my job."

"Yes, however, I have another assignment for you. I have a target I need killed."

"Another? Who is it?"

A photo message popped up on Lance's phone, and Lance's heart felt as if it stopped in his chest.

His mother.

Lance felt sick.

"W-Why?"

The voice hardened.

"She has made my job harder than I need it to be. She has discovered some of my recent work. I am in trouble, and I cannot have her telling the police. I would kill her myself, but the blame would be on my hands. With you killing her, you would get the blame, and since you are a villain after all, it won't matter."

_Wouldn't matter? Hell, of course it would matter!_

Lance shook his head, voice wavering as he spoke to the phone.

"I-I can't. I'm sorry."

Lance could almost see the tension rising in the air.

"You have to. If you back out of this, then get ready for a lot of innocent people to die."   
They hesitated before continuing.   
"Your time to decide starts now. If I don't see anything about a lady dying tonight on the news, you will be punished. If I do, then you and everyone else will be spared. The choice is yours."

The phone hung up after that.   
Lance bent over, shaking.   
He stared at the picture of his mother. He will have to move his family to somewhere safe. Somewhere hidden, where his father can't find them.   
Or else?   
His mother would die.  
  


* * *

Lance practically ran back to the dorm. He flung the door open, striking Keith by surprise.   
"Whoa whoa, Lance, what the heck is happening? What's wrong?" Lance didn't respond to Keith's questions. Instead, he pulled out his laptop, opening a new tab on google. He did a few searches before pulling out his phone to call his mother. The phone rung for a few seconds before someone picked up.

" _¿Hola? ¿Eres tú, Lance?_ "   
(Hello? Is that you, Lance?)   
Lance spoke quickly.   
"Mama, where are you right now? Is there anyone around you?"   
There was a pause.   
"Your father isn't home right now of course, and your siblings are at school. _¿Qué pasa hijo?_ "   
(What's going on son?)  
Lance let out a sigh of relief,but still felt slightly anxious.   
"Mama, go outside please. Trust me it is important."  
Lance's mother took a breath, audible from the other side of the phone.   
"Lance-"   
"Please, mama. It's important."   
Lance could hear a sigh, then the door opening. Lance looked up at Keith, who was sitting silently on the bed. Lance couldn't have Keith hear what was going on. He was grateful Keith didn't know much Spanish.  
" _M_ _amá, estás en peligro, y tienes tiempo limitado. Papá está planeando algo malo que pone a toda la familia en peligro. Necesito que encuentres un lugar seguro para que no pueda encontrarte._ "  
("Mom, your in danger, and you have limited time. Dad is planning something bad that puts the whole family in danger. I need you to find somewhere safe so he cannot find you.")  
There was silence for a moment before Lance's mother replied.  
" _Sabía que algo así sucedería eventualmente. Me di cuenta de que tu padre es un hombre muy malo. Evacuaré la casa y recogeré a los niños de inmediato. tengo un lugar en mente que tu padre no sabrá._ "  
(" I knew something like this would eventually happen. I realized too late that your father is a very bad man. I will evacuate the house and pick up the kids immediately. I have a place in mind that your father won't know about.")

Lance and his mother said their goodbyes, and Lance hung up, flopping down on his bed with stress.   
"What was that about?" Keith asked.   
Lance almost forgot about the boy who was sitting cross legged on his bed.   
"Oh... uh, nothing. I just had to contact my mom. Family issues." Keith looked slightly unconvinced.   
"Everything alright?"

Lance itched to say no.

"Fine. Just a little stressed... I guess."   
Keith came over tentatively and sat next down next to Lance.   
"You know, if you have any concerns, you can talk to me."   
Lance looked down.   
"Y-Yeah, I know."   
_I wish I could, Keith._  
Lance looked up again, noticing how Keith's eyes searched his own. The two sat in silence for a few moments.   
Lance finally sighed.   
"I'm gonna go for a walk."   
Keith watched his friend get up.   
He wanted to go after Lance, but decided against it.   
It wasn't his place to interfere with someone else's family business. So, he sat, alone, on Lance's bed, staring at the door.

_Lance, you can trust me..... what is it that is causing you so much stress?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the Spanish is not correct, I just went on Google Translate because I am lazy.


	7. Unsteady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith hun, you have to be careful with what you say to Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohooo

The next day, Keith woke up to find Lance wasn't in the room. Keith assumed it had something to do with the previous night. Lance had been gone quite a while. By the time he had arrived back at the dorm, the clock was reaching 10:30.   
Keith sat up and quickly got changed, hoping to catch Lance before school started.  
Keith walked toward class, searching the halls for the tall brunette haired boy. He growled, glumly walking into class when he couldn't find him.   
He was bound to find Lance in Spanish.

Sure enough, he did.  
Lance was already in class by the time Keith entered the room. Keith sat down next to Lance, and without thinking, he placed a hand on Lance's.   
"Hey... you alright?"   
Lance looked up with a confused expression, but his eyes were clouded with what looked like anxiety. Lance had flinched slightly at Keith's touch.   
"Uh... yeah... yeah I'm fine."   
He pulled his hand to his lap.   
Keith looked down, somewhat sad.   
Didn't Lance trust him?   
"Alright."   
Keith began to pull out his things, but stopped when he heard Lance say softly, "Keith?"   
The black haired looked up.   
"I - Uh... Thanks."   
Keith smiled slightly.  
"No problem."

The teacher went over the lesson, and Keith tried to pay attention, but he kept losing focus. However, when the teacher called on Lance, his attention immediately snapped to his friend.  
"Lance, are you paying attention to the lesson, or are you going to continue to stare at something else?"  
Lance looked at the teacher blankly before replying.   
" _oh, lo siento, ¿qué fue eso? No estaba escuchando. Si quisieras volver a enseñarme a decir 'hola mi nombre es Lance', no creo que sea necesario_."   
Keith saw Lance's teacher look slightly frustrated, but she sighed and continued with the lesson.   
Keith leaned over and whispered, "What did you say?"  
Lance laughed and whispered back, "I said, 'oh, i'm sorry, what was that? I wasn't listening. If you wanted to reteach me how to say 'hello my name is Lance,' I don't think it will be necessary.'" Keith snickered.  
Obviously Lance's teacher was paying attention, because she snapped at the two, "Enough chatter!"  
Keith heard Lance mutter, " _Dios,"_ under his breath before continuing his work.   
The class went by silently after that, and Keith was impatient to leave.  
He didn't really like Spanish anyways.

PE rolled around, and Keith had seen Lance quickly leave to go to the locker room after his class took attendance.   
Keith hesitated, thinking about following his friend.   
Just then, Keith felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He turned around quickly in surprise, seeing Shiro smiling at him.   
"Hey Keith," he greeted. "Want to do a round of one on one?"   
Keith hesitated, casting a glance at the locker room doors.   
"Uh..." Keith replied, voice faltering.   
"I actually need to do something. I will be right back."   
Shiro looked mildly confused, but didn't question Keith. Instead he shrugged.   
"Alright, I will be here when your ready."   
Keith gave a brusque nod, before making a beeline for the locker rooms. He entered the room quietly, searching around. He could hear something near Lance's locker, and with a jolt, Keith realized it was someone crying.   
Lance, to be exact.  
Keith tentatively turned the corner, and softly said, "Lance..?"   
The Cuban boy stiffened and looked up, alarm painted across his face. He looked away, burying half his face in his arms again.   
"Go away, Keith."   
Keith didn't leave.  
Instead, he walked closer, until he was sitting beside Lance. He stayed silent for a few moments before asking gingerly, "What's wrong?"   
Lance's breathing was shaky and uneven with crying.   
"N-Nothing. I'm perfectly f-fine."   
Keith looked at Lance, and breathed out before reaching out to Lance, who was wiping tears away.   
"Hey," Keith murmured, taking Lance's wrist and bringing his hand away from his face. Lance looked slightly surprised, his gaze searching Keith's.   
"Wha- K-Keith..." Lance stuttered.  
"Do you want to talk to me at all?" Keith asked softly, his eyes resting on Lance's.  
"I-" He choked out. "I can't..."   
Without thinking, Keith pulled Lance forward into a hug. He could feel Lance shaking, and heard him suck in a breath.   
"It's okay, Lance. I understand. Just know that I'm here for you, alright?"   
As if it was Lance's way of responding, Keith felt him relax and hug him back, burying his head in Keith's shoulder.

The two stayed like that for a while, until Lance final pulled away. "Why did you come here?"  
Keith closed his eyes, sighing.  
"I came because I care about you, Lance."  
Something about that sentence seemed to catch Lance off guard, because his breath hitched, and Keith worried he would start crying again. But instead, Lance murmured, "I'm sorry."   
Keith felt a wave of emotion wash over him.   
He wanted to cuddle Lance at that very moment until he fell asleep.   
He wanted to relieve Lance of the sadness that was claiming him.   
Anything to get that smile back on his face.  
In some ways however, he liked Lance when he was in a vulnerable state. It showed a different perspective to the confident person Lance always tried to be.  
Keith brushed a stray tear away from Lance's cheek.   
"It's okay. You did nothing wrong."

_But I really did. I do everything wrong._

Lance finally whispered, "K-Keith?"  
Keith hadn't realized he was holding his breath.   
"Yeah..?"   
They were _so close._  
Lance looked away, still looking embarrassed.   
"I - I think we should get back before anyone notices we were gone."   
Realization hit Keith and he sucked in a breath, jerking backward. He got up, and stammered, face red, "Y-Yeah, your right."   
When Keith snuck a peak at Lance, he realized the boy was smiling very very slightly.   
"Come on," Lance said quietly, walking out the locker room doors.

At lunch, Keith stared blankly down at his food, listening to Hunk and Pidge laugh about outsmarting their chemistry teacher.   
Keith didn't pay much attention, instead letting his mind dart back to the locker room.   
What the hell was he _thinking_? Lance didn't like him! And well, did _he_ like Lance???  
Keith felt dread.  
Stupid, stupid stupid!  
What if he made Lance uncomfortable?   
He felt as if he on the verge of kissing him!   
Keith closed his eyes for a moment.   
A few seconds passed, and he let his anger subside.

Lance didn't draw away.   
He was _smiling_ after Keith stood up.   
That was a good sign... right?  
Right?  
Keith sighed.   
Time would answer his questions.   
...He hoped.

The rest of the day went by fast.   
Keith had kept an eye on Lance during lunch and after school. In the dorm, Lance looked increasingly anxious, checking his phone every few seconds.   
Keith sighed, setting down the book he was reading.   
"Want to go for a walk down to the coffee shop?"   
Lance let out a long exhale.  
"Y-Yeah. Sure."  
So, the two got up, and Lance grabbed his beloved army green jacket on the way out. They walked slowly, not speaking.   
Keith desperately wanted to say something - anything - but at the same time he didn't want to break the peaceful silence between them. It wasn't until they reached the coffee shop that they spoke.

"It smells so good in here," Lance mused, walking toward the counter.   
"What do you want? I will pay."   
Keith was surprised.   
"You don't have to-" Lance cut Keith off with a wave of his hand. "It's fine, I guess you could say it's my way of saying thanks for earlier."   
Keith smiled, proceeding in ordering his drink. Lance paid, and the two sat down.   
"So um... how are you feeling?" Keith asked cautiously.   
He could hear Lance sigh, staring down at his drink.   
"I'm okay. Just - never mind, it's unimportant."   
Keith looked at Lance, shifting in his seat. Lance peered up to Keith, who quickly realized he was staring.   
Lance's eyebrows furrowed, his face beginning to look almost... angry?   
"What?"  
Keith was surprised by the harshness of Lance's voice.   
"Wh-What?" Keith asked, confused.   
"Why are you looking at me like that? Like I'm some sort of messed up, miserable person?"   
Keith felt a twinge of hurt and anger spark inside him, and he objected, "What are you talking about? I'm not doing anything!" Lance's voice was growing angrier by the second.  
"Yes you are!"   
"How? I'm just trying to help you!"   
" _Help me_? I don't _need_ help! Stop babying me Keith! I'm not your boyfriend, so quit acting like I am!"   
The last few words slipped out of Lance's mouth before he knew what he was saying. Keith was taken aback, the words piercing through his chest. Lance took a breath and looked away, and Keith could see the tears spilling down his tan cheeks.  
"I'm leaving. I'll catch you later."  
Without waiting for a response, Lance stormed out of the cafe, leaving Keith by himself.  
Again.  
Did that feel familiar?  
Maybe.

Keith's mind swirled.   
Of course Lance wasn't his boyfriend! Keith knew that those words should not have hurt him...But they did.   
Keith felt guilt wash over him.  
He shouldn't have been gazing at the boy for so long, or shouldn't have started arguing.   
Lance had a right to be upset.  
Keith ran a hand shakily through his hair, before getting up and leaving the cafe.   
He sure hoped Lance would forgive him.   
Lance was right after all - he was too concerned about him, to the point Lance thought it was babying.   
Keith frowned.   
He had to speak to Lance sooner or later.   
Even if it wasn't exactly fully his fault, they still should make up.   
Because that's what friends do.


	8. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance pays for his decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some small trigger warnings on this chapter, be careful kiddos.

Lance was mad.  
He didn't come back to the dorm until late after the sun set, and even then he dreaded going back to the room.  
The place where Keith would be.  
Lance did realize that it wasn't entirely Keith's fault. He had snapped at Keith, which wasn't exactly fair. Even if so, Lance was still mad.  
Mad at Keith.  
Mad at himself.  
Lance sat on a bench in the park, staring silently ahead. The park was dead silent - the only thing heard was the faint sound of cars rushing by on the roads surrounding the park.  
Out of nowhere, Lance yelled and hurled an ice ball at the nearest trashcan, watching as it topppled over. Lance closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath to steady his thundering heart.  
He wanted all this pain to just... stop.  
He wanted to slip away, never to be seen again.  
Maybe the world would be a better place without him lurking around.  
 _No, stop thinking that way, you weak piece of shit,_ Lance fought in his mind. _You are still worth something._  
 _Right?_

After easing his mind, he walked back to the dorms, right before the clock struck 11:00.   
Lance unlocked the door, silently slipping into the dark room. As he turned to put his jacket on the hook on his closet door, a voice spoke from the pitch dark room.  
"Lance?"   
Keith's voice sounded uncertain and quiet, as if he was slightly afraid that Lance would snap at him any second. Instead, Lance let out a long exhale.   
"Yes?"   
He turned from the closet as Keith's lamp flicked on, casting a warm glow around the room.  
Lance sat down on his bed.  
"I, I wanted to say I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have argued with you, and I can understand why your upset with me."  
Lance notice Keith look down, and his cheeks were slightly flushed. Lance couldn't help it.  
He smiled.   
"It's okay, Keith."  
The black haired boy looked up at Lance, as if he didn't believe what he heard.  
"It's okay. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It wasn't fair to treat you like that. I guess... I'm just having a bad day."  
Keith's nodded his head in understanding.  
"Did you stay up just to tell me that?" Lance asked, seeing how tired Keith looked.  
The boy shrugged.   
"I suppose, but that doesn't really matter."   
Lance smiled at the thought, and the two left the conversation at that. Keith leaned over and turned the light off, the room consumed with darkness once again. Before Lance drifted off into sleep however, he heard Keith whisper from his side of the room.  
"Goodnight, Lance."

The next morning, Lance woke up to Keith standing over him. On instinct he sat up in his bed, ready to defend himself. Keith was caught by surprise, and almost fell in attempt to dodge Lance's flailing arms.   
"Wh- What the hell Keith!? Why are you standing over me?!"   
Keith regained himself and gasped, "Dude, you almost killed me!"  
"Reflexes, it's not my fault! You were the one who was standing over me!"  
" _Reflexes_? Lance, I didn't even _touch_ you!"   
Lance shrugged, but began to laugh.  
"I can't believe you," Keith said with a snicker, putting his palm to his forehead in fake irritation.  
Once the two calmed down from their laughter, Lance asked, "But seriously, why were you standing over me?" Keith looked slightly uneasy before replying.  
"You were talking in your sleep, and I decided I should wake you up." Lance felt embarrassment creep up on him, and he looked away.   
"O-Oh, sorry."   
When he looked back over to Keith, the boy looked slightly worried.   
"What um, was I saying exactly?"  
Now it was Keith's turn to look away.   
"Well, it was a little hard to understand - it was a mix of Spanish and English slurred together. It seemed like you were angry in your dream, or scared, like you were yelling at someone or something."   
Lance sighed.   
"I'm sorry, Keith."   
The black haired boy shrugged.   
"It was no big deal."   
Lance didn't reply, however he still felt uneasy as he got up to change. He fetched his backpack, and then left the building with Keith by his side.

Neither would be prepared for what would happen next.

Lance sat quietly reading a book for Language Arts when he heard a loud band down the hall.  
A sound all too familiar.  
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up, tension growing in a matter of seconds. The sound had pierced the air only once, but everyone could sense something was so terribly wrong. Then, there was a scream, echoing down the hallway, and a series of repeated bangs.

It was a school shootout.

By now everyone in the classroom was panicking, and the teacher was struggling to keep everyone calm. Lance's heart pounded in his chest, and he looked wildly around.  
The first thought that popped into his head was: he had to get his suit.  
Yes, he was a villain, but he couldn't stand by and watch innocent people - his friends - die. It was his school. He had to do something about it.  
Without hesitation, Lance ran to the window and hurled himself against it. He was thankful for his strength as the glass shattered and he toppled out onto the grass on the other side, letting out a low groan of pain as the glass shards lodged into his shoulder. He knew this way his class could evacuate safely, while he planned to run back to the dorm.  
His classmates cried and screamed, racing to climb out the window and evacuate. Lance followed for a small amount of time.  
Everything was going according to plan.   
As everyone was running away, Lance made a beeline to the dorms. He knew right away the doors would be locked, so he scaled the side of the building to reach the room on the second floor.   
Thankfully they had left the window open to freshen up the room, so he quickly popped open the screen with ease, climbing inside. His side ached slightly and glass littered his shirt and left cuts in his skin, but he didn't care at the moment. He quickly slipped off his clothes, changing into his suit and letting his body change form.   
Taking a deep breath, he left the room.

As he jumped from building to building, terrible thoughts were brewing in his head.   
He had to find Keith, Pidge, and Hunk to make sure they were okay.  
And, as Lance thought about it, he realized the school shooters weren't some normal messed up teens taking out hate on their school.  
It was his father's doing.  
And, in a way, this was all _Lance's fault_.   
He hid his mother from his father.  
And in return?  
His father would make innocent people die.  
Just like he promised.  
His school was the target, because he knew Lance would make friends there.   
Oh man, this was bad.  
Lance burst back into the hallway, hoping to clear as many people out as possible, all the while searching for the shooters.  
He inwardly prayed they hadn't killed any of his friends. If they did, Lance would never forgive himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy, this is exciting :)


	9. An Unexpected Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith finds help through an unexpected ally.

As soon as Lance was back inside the school building, he entered the nearest classroom he saw. The class was oblivious about the intruders. Lance realized that they wouldn't have heard the gunshots from here, and so far there has been no alarms or warnings over the speakers.  
Lance knew this may be hard.  
Until now, he was known as the villain.  
He was no superhero.  
Lance spoke quickly, ignoring the shocked looks on the student's faces.   
"Everyone needs to leave the building immediately. There is shooters in the hallway making their way here."   
The teacher looked uncertain, as if she was deciding whether or not to trust Lance or not. He sighed, pulling down his mask.  
"Please listen to me. I don't want anyone else to get hurt."  
As if on cue, the speakers crackles to life, and a shaky voice began to speak.  
"Attention students and teachers. As I speak there is a shootout happening. I need teachers to evacuate themselves and their students as soon as possible, and find somewhere off campus that is safe. The alarms have been damaged..." The speaker began to fizz with static, and the last thing heard was muffled gunshots. Lance looked back at the teacher pointedly.  
"Go. I will make sure you and your class have a clear exit."  
Without waiting for a response, Lance ran out of the classroom. So far, the coast was clear.  
Lance made his way down the hallways, and soon enough he could hear the sharp bang of the guns. He saw an occasional student or two run past him, but he knew they would most likely be fine.   
As Lance turned the corner, a bullet whizzed past his face, striking him by surprise. There, two men dressed in black stood, braced for combat. Lance quickly regained himself and attacked. The two fired their guns, but only struck the ice shield Lance formed with his arm. Before long, Lance had one man dead, and broke the other man's gun. Lance heard a shuffle from behind him and then a sharp pain in his arm. When he whipped around, he saw a third man standing with a switchblade.  
"Oh your so going to regret that." Lance growled darkly, and he lifted his hand, sending piercing ice shards ripping through the man's skin.   
He ended up freezing him, just in case.  
Then, he proceeded down the empty hallway, until he entered another section of the building.  
Immediately, Lance noticed blood.  
He grimaced under his mask, but pressed onward. It wasn't until he reached the other end that he saw more men. They turned at his approach, immediately beginning to fire at Lance. With a smirk, Lance dodged and froze multiple bullets, forming spears made of ice to impale his opponents.   
Cruel may the tactic be, but they deserved it.

As Lance was dealing with one difficult enemy, he didn't notice one of the men aiming at him from behind.  
Lance's opponent's gaze shifted for a second, and Lance noticed it right before he heard a shout behind him.  
"Frost, watch out!"  
Lance turned right as the man from behind fired, surprised.   
The bullet ended up hitting the man Lance was fighting.  
Lance saw a knife come hurtling toward the man in front of him, and Lance looked away right before the blade hit home. The pale boy looked down the hall to see a person no other than Slate. Both stared at each other before Slate asked in a weary tone, "F-Frost? Why are you here...?"   
Lance looked down.   
He was not sure how to respond.   
How would you tell your rival, the person you have been fighting with for so long, that your innocent? You weren't the one who caused this mess?  
Hah, good luck with that.  
"Are you working with them?" Slate asked stifly, adding to his previous question.  
In a quiet voice, Lance replied, "I came because it is the right thing to do. I can't stand by and watch innocent people die like this. It... it's not right. I know I'm not some superhero, but I'm also not some sick assassin. I only kill if it is necessary."   
Slate walked forward picking his knife up. "Well, that's good to hear, because I will need backup."   
Lance looked up at Slate in utter disbelief. He couldn't believe those words just came out of the other's mouth.  
Lance took a second to get a grip.  
"Don't you like... hate me? Aren't you _not_ supposed to trust me? I mean if I'm getting my calculations right, I'm probably the last person you would trust.... right?"  
Slate stared at Lance carefully, taking in Lance's advisement.   
"I know we haven't been on the best of terms, and yes, typically the hero should not trust the villain. But, I need help. I trust you enough to know you will help me."  
Lance felt a small smile spread across his cheeks, but it quickly disappeared as he stared down at the two lifeless bodies on the ground.   
"We need go split up between the West and East wings of the building. We will meet back up in the center, alright?" Slate nodded, but before the two split up, he turned.   
"Frost?"  
Lance turned to look at Slate.  
"Thank you, and be careful."   
Lance nodded, before turning around and disappearing down the hallway.

Lance patrolled the corridor, making sure every single classroom was evacuated in the process. However, his mind drifted back to Slate's words.

"I trust you enough to know you will help me."

The sentence replayed over and over in his head like a broken record.

"I trust you enough to know you will help me."

"I trust you enough to know you will help me."

Lance had Slate's trust... for now.  
But for how long?  
He has not been trusted for a long time while in this form.  
_But, if Slate knew that this was partially my fault_ , Lance thought, _he would never trust me again_.  
Lance stopped abruptly at a door, immediately recognizing the classroom.  
Chemistry.   
Which means Hunk and Pidge may be in the classroom.  
Lance crept inside the room carefully, trying to stay quiet.   
"Hello? Anyone there? I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to help you escape."  
As soon as Lance was a few steps into the dark classroom, there was a click behind him.  
"Hands up."  
Lance stopped in his tracks. He found himself slowly raising his arms slowly into the air. He glanced over his shoulder to see a man pointing a pistol at him. They were obviously working for his father.   
"Turn around so your facing me!"  
Lance closed his eyes and turned around to face his opponent. Before the man could react, Lance shot his arm forward and blasted the man backward into the wall, bullets firing in random directions. Lance quickly exited the room, booking it down the hallway.  
How many people would he have to kill today?  
He didn't want to find out.

What Lance didn't know was that there was a group who had planned an ambush, waiting silently to make their move in capturing Frost.  
That was the plan all along.  
Lance thought the coast was clear until he rounded the corner.

There, he was struck by surprise to run face to face with around twelve men, loaded with guns, ropes, and other equipment.

Time seemed to slow down.

There was a loud _BANG_ , and before Lance had time to realize what had happened, pain exploded in his side. He winced and let out a startled and pained gasp, looking down. Blood was pooling quickly from the wound, and Lance looked up at the man who fired.   
Without thinking, Lance began to freeze the man, but before he could do so, another loud crack of sound filled the air. Then another.   
Lance didn't remember falling until he was kneeling on the ground. He was numb for a moment before there was pain.  
An excruciating amount of it.  
There were now three bullet wounds - one on the side of his stomach, one just below his left collarbone, and one close to his waist.  
Lance felt a whine escape his throat, vision blurring, until he collapsed on the ground. Everything was a haze of sound and motion. Lance couldn't seem to make out words or images, things just faded in and out, his world spiraling into a void of darkness.   
_Help._


	10. Unleashed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frost is pushed to his limit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've found so many errors I want to fix but am really lazy to, so yeah enjoy this shitty chapter, and I promise that it gets better because my writing has improved since then.

Keith moved down the opposite side of the building, growing increasingly confused. There was no activity down the hallway except for one easy target.   
No sound was heard except for the slight echoing of Keith's breathing as he walked.   
Something wasn't right.  
Keith began to realize that something was wrong. What kind of organised group of school shooters would just leave a hallway almost completely unharmed? Unless....

Keith picked up his pace to a run, booking it down the hallway.  
He had a terrible, terrible feeling something bad was happening.   
As he reached the end of the hall he turned, and he began to pick up the faint murmur of voices. As he inched closer cautiously, he was startled when three gunshots erupted through the silent hallway, one after another.  
Screw being careful.  
Keith finally made it to the scene, pure horror piercing through him.  
Frost was crouching on the ground, hunched with a hand clasped to his side. Blood was splattered on the ground, and Keith realized that it was coming from the blue skinned boy. He made some awful choking sounds, before collapsing.   
Anger burned inside him.  
His blood felt as if it was boiling, spreading through every vain in his body.  
A violent, enraged screech escaped Keith as he flung himself into battle, fury overwhelming his senses.  
He took out at least seven men, adrenaline rushing through him. Keith lunged for one of the men, but was too blinded by anger to notice another person approaching. With a hard shove, Keith was flung sideways, hitting a wall. He had no time to recover before one of the men was standing over him, pointing a gun at his head.  
A sudden voice instructed from behind.  
"Keep him alive. Boss would want to meet him."   
The man standing over Keith nodded, instead hitting Keith with the butt of the gun, and Keith saw stars for a moment.  
He growled in pain, finding himself being handcuffed around a chair.  
Frustration pricked through his skin, his body still burning in anger.  
At least he had another chance to look at Frost.  
The boy had still not woken up, and Keith began to worry about the possibility of him being dead.

However, after a few minutes, Frost twitched. The men were too busy contacting their boss to see. Frost sparked to life in a few sort seconds, softly groaning as he sat up, unsteady and shaking. Keith felt his heart pounding in his chest. After a second, Frost's eyes darted from the men over to Keith. The two exchanged glances, staring at each other.  
Emotions danced across Lance's face, so many Keith couldn't believe. It was a wild mixture of fear, sadness, pain, confusion.... guilt?  
Keith didn't have time to dwell on it.  
Just as the frost colored boy was about to stand, one of the men turned. Keith cursed under his breath. The man walked over to Lance, and forced his head down with a shoe.   
"Well, look who decided to join us!"  
A low growl resonated in Keith's throat.  
"Stop."  
Amusement sparked in the man's eyes as he looked over at Keith. With a dangerous hint to his voice, he answered, "What did you just tell me?" Keith instantly regretted speaking. He had no advantages in this situation.  
"I said," he repeated in a less confident tone, "stop."   
The man burst out into laughter.   
"You can't tell me what I can and cannot do, _cat_."   
With that, the man waved over some other men. They picked Frost up and put him in a chair, tying him up with chains and slipping gloves over his hands. The boy groaned, but let out a shaky laugh, his head lolling as he tried watching them set something up.  
"Aw come on guys. Gloves?"  
The men frowned in a response. "Frost, since you didn't follow through with your task, you have to pay for your actions."  
Keith saw the fear that entered Frost's eyes as he began to tug at the restraints.   
"No no no no... don't you dare. I'm warning you. Don't do that-"   
An evil smirk crawled across the man who seemed to be the leader's face.   
"Oh, we will do what we please. In this state, you are weak and you can't do anything."   
They began to bring over some equipment, and Frost began to writhe wildly.   
"No- please! Don't do this! L-lets talk about this!"   
The man ignored the pleas, strapping some sort of thing to Frost's head, and wrapped wires around his body.   
"One..."   
Keith watched as Frost screamed out in protests.  
"Two..."  
Keith wondered what the equipment did. Obviously something bad.  
"Three."  
There was a high pitched buzz as the man flipped a switch. Then, the wires turned bright red, obviously hot. The two gadgets on either side of Frost's head began to make a humming sound, then sparked.   
A guttural wail escaped Frost, and Keith found it hard to watch. The sound Frost made was soaked in pain, and his body convulsed as the wires tightened.   
The screams continued, Frost's body lurching in spasms of pain. His veins were visible on his neck, and his eyes began to glow an unusual hue. The men seemed content with their work, watching as if it was some sort of movie.

Lance felt himself being enveloped in utterly unbearable pain. His vision turned white and for a second, he lost track of everything that was happening. He heard voices in his head, but they were drowned out by the ringing of his ears.

_Stop it._   
_It hurts._   
_It hurts._   
_It hurts!!!_   
_Help me._   
_Kill me, please._   
_It's unbearable._   
_I can't feel anything...!_   
_Hello?_   
_HELLO???_

Frost's mask fell down, and Keith saw the blood that had pooled out of his mouth. The boy's screams grew louder by the second, until Keith lowered his ears in order to block out some sound.   
The sound was hard for Keith to describe.  
It was..... beyond pain. Keith's own chest hurt watching the scene.  
But-

It all happened so fast.

The men had clearly began to panicked when they saw the mask had fallen down, screaming orders.  
Frost closed his eyes, tears spilling down his cheeks. A shriek pierced the air around him, and his head jerked backward against the chair. His whole body glowed for the smallest fraction of a second before a giant gust of... wind? Exploded throughout the room. Glass shattered, and the machine broke into pieces, smoking. The wires lost some color as if they were beginning to cool down. Taking this as an advantage, Frost looked at the men, and broke free from the wires, ignoring the deep cuts they produced on his skin. He let out another blood curling cry, sending the men flying back, into the wall with a wave of two hands.  
Frost staggered backward, a thick amount of dizziness clouding his vision.   
He looked back at Keith a final time before falling to the ground.


	11. Shelter Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe this event can help Frost and Slate reach an understanding with each other. Who knows?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOF.

As Lance fell, Keith gaped, shock filling him.  
He never knew that Frost was capable of that until now.   
It was something that shook Keith to his very core. He could still feel how Frost's pained cries rattled through him, all the way to the bone.

Keith broke free from the cuffs soon enough, rushing over to Frost's side. He pulled the boy over to the side of the wall, cradling him in his lap. M  
Keith wrapped the pale boy's wounds with some torn pieces of clothing the men wore. Burn marks scored his skin, and Keith realized the bruises around the burns has changed into a regular skin tone.   
It was tan.   
Keith stared at the burns for a few more seconds, grimacing, before looking away, back up to Frost's face. The mask he usually wore was laying next to him, revealing his full face.  
Keith had never had a chance to fully look at him until now. After all, before this they would be fighting each other. There was no time to dwell and really examine the other.  
Keith stared at Frost for several moments. Something pricked inside him.... Frost looked... like......  
Like.....  
 _Lance._  
Keith couldn't shake the thought out of his head. That was until he realized how quiet Frost was at the moment.   
It was strange.  
Frost always had something to say, whether it be a lame pun or a snarky remark.  
 _"Hey furball, you will need try harder if you ever want to catch me!"_  
 _"You think I'm scared of a big pussycat?"_  
Sometimes Frost would raise his hands to his head in an imitation of ears and let out an annoying, " _Nya nya!"_   
It left Keith angry- Frost knew that.   
They had endless fights, but they _almost_ always ended with Keith stuck somewhere, trapped by ice.  
But now? The pale boy had nothing to say. He was so quiet it was beginning to put Keith on edge.  
And to add to that, it was scaring Keith how much Frost looked like Lance... besides the fact that his skin and hair were blue shades.

Keith was startled when Frost let out a hollow cough, blood pooling from his mouth. His eyes opened slightly, and Keith felt worry creeping up on him again. Frost's eyes were dark in exhaustion, yet a small smile was forced at the edge of his lips.  
"H-Hey...."  
Keith smiled back, his gaze searching Frost's.   
"Are you okay...?"   
Frost let out a strained laugh, closing his eyes. "I'm _GREAT_."

_Yeah, best question to ask when someone is bleeding from three bullet wounds. Nice going Keith, you idiot. Of course he's not okay!_

His eyes opened slightly again, peeking at Keith.   
"Aw, is Slate worried about _me_? His _rival_? _Frost_?"   
He let out an exaggerated gasp. "No! It can't be! Slate has a soft spot for a vill-" Frost was cut off by Keith punching him in the arm.   
"O-Ow..." He wheezed in pain, yet somehow a smile was still painted across his face.   
Keith rolled his eyes.   
"Cut the crap."  
Frost snickered, but then sighed, relaxing in Keith's arms.   
"Sorry."  
The word struck Keith by surprise.  
"I'm sorry for getting you into this mess. All this... The shooters... they are all my fault."   
Keith frowned, confused.   
"What do you mean?"   
"The men who came here were looking for me, all the while shooting up the school just for the heck of it. Just to draw me out and upset me. It was all because I didn't follow through with an agreement to kill someone."  
There was silence before Keith realized Frost was on the verge of crying.  
"I - I caused so many deaths just because I wouldn't kill one person....."  
Keith didn't think about those factors. Instead, he pulled Frost closer into a hug.  
"I understand, Frost. I can't...blame you. You didn't know it would happen."   
Frost flinched for a second, uncertain on how to react to Slate hugging him.   
Frost forced himself relax again.   
Keith could tell Frost was slightly uneasy, and he released his grip. "Is this too much?"  
To his surprise, Frost shook his head.  
"It's fine.... it's just.... only a few days ago we were trying to kill each other. I mean.... it's just a little hard to process that's all..." Keith sighed, feeling Frost slowly begin to relax more and more in his arms. For a few minutes Keith panicked, scared that he was blacking out from blood loss and fatigue, but was relieved whenever Frost shifted or let out a small cough.

The moment didn't last too long to their disappointment.  
Keith pricked his ears, picking up the sound of police sirens. He had been so focused on Frost he hadn't heard the cars coming until they were almost right outside the building. Keith looked around, vigilant.   
"Frost... You need to lea-" Keith began to murmur, but he was interrupted.   
"I can't go anywhere now, Slate. I'm too weak."   
Keith sighed, closing his eyes as Frost continued.  
"It's okay. I have learned there will be a point where I would finally get caught. I guess that day is today. That's what you always wanted, right?"   
Keith hesitated.  
In the beginning he desperately wanted to capture Frost, but over time he had realized that sometimes their skirmishes were... fun? He realized now that Frost was someone who deserves to be free - if he were to be shut up in a prison cell, it would completely ruin him... ruin his endless energy. Keith, even if he hated to admit it, had in fact grown a soft spot for the villain. He wasn't sure why, or _how_ , but something about the pale boy brought him to where he was today.   
Was that wrong?

Keith heard feet shuffling down the hall, and he gingerly scooted from his place, resting Frost against the wall.   
"I will be back," he whispered, then went to the end of the hallway and yelled, "Over here!"   
A group of police officers came down the hall, guns ready. They relaxed slightly at the familiar face.   
"Slate, it's good to see you. What happened here? Did you capture and or kill the intruders?"   
Keith nodded, leading the group into the large space he was previously in.   
"Yes, everyone has been killed, I didn't manage to capture any of the intruders, my apologies. I tried to help evacuate as many classes as possible, but I'm uncertain how many students and teachers have been killed."  
The group split to observe the technology used on Frost and patrol the area, but they stopped when they spotted Frost slumped against the wall. He had clearly passed out, and once again, Keith felt a prick of concern as he gazed at him. Blood was seeping through his makeshift bandages.  
"It seems you have caught a very well known criminal as well! Was he working with the shooters?"  
Keith felt panic rising in his chest, and he was quick to defend Frost.  
"N - No. I didn't do that to him. He was actually helping me evacuate students, and then was caught by the shooters. He told me they were looking for him, and shooting up the school was their idea on how to draw him out. He meant no harm. The wounds he is suffering is because of the shooters, and he needs urgent attention."   
The police man looked surprised as Keith explained, eyeing Frost suspiciously.   
"Well, either way he will be going to jail as soon as possible."   
All Keith could do was sigh.   
What could he do about it?  
So, after the crew of men investigated the scene, they made their way over to handcuff Frost. He had woken back up by then, having no intentions to fight them.  
The action was disconcerting to Keith - it was such an unlike Frost thing for him to do.   
He never gave up so fast.

Keith ran over to Frost as he was being brought over to a truck for special transportation. Frost looked scared, yet he was so exhausted any urge to get away was ceased.  
When he saw Keith approach, he let a small smile escape his lips. "Come to give me a kiss goodbye?"  
Keith blushed, glancing at the frosty colored lips that were quirked in a small grin.

He wanted to.

Looking at Frost's lips was tempting.   
Extremely so.   
They felt as if they were almost pulling him forward, the need for them to press against his own burning inside him.

But he didn't.

He regretted the choice the minute it was made, desperate for the contact.  
Instead, Keith pulled Frost into another hug.  
Frost was surprised by the movement.  
He swore this day wasn't real.  
Slate. Hugging. Him.   
What the hell? They should be ripping each other's throats out right about now...!  
......But they weren't.

Keith pulled away, however his face still lingered close to Frost's. His gaze met the other's, and he whispered two words.  
"Stay safe."   
With that, he backed up. Frost still looked disoriented, his pale blue cheeks replaced by a darker shade of blue, almost violet. They stared at each other, the doors to the truck closing.   
Keith felt bewildered himself.  
 _What is wrong with me?_


	12. A Secret Uncovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance struggles trying to figure out his feelings. Keith uncovers the truth and forms a plan.

Lance stared out the window as the truck pulled away, trying to get one last glimpse of Slate before they were too far away.  
His mind was swirling and his thoughts were fuzzy.  
Slate had shown so much.... What was it?  
Care?  
Worry?  
Guilt?  
Affection....?  
But why?  
He is a thief. A killer. A villain.  
He should be getting shot (not that he already had) instead of hugged!  
Lance plopped down on the metal floor of the truck and ran his fingers through his hair. He was beyond baffled, trying to catch any sort of reasoning why....   
Frustration pricked through Lance's body. He was mad at himself, Slate, and the whole situation.  
Maybe if he hadn't decided to help Slate, this would never have happened. Why did he let his guard down?  
Slate and him are rivals. Nothing else. Not friends. Not even mere acquaintances.   
He should not have allowed the slight trust in Slate. If he had minded his own business....  
The first thing to know if you are going to be a thief or villain, is to _trust no one_. And what did Lance do?  
He trusted him.   
And now he was being transported to some unknown destination. Anything could happen to him.  
Lance closed his eyes, listening to his breath and the faint rattle as the truck drove on the freeway.

Lance fainted twice during the trip, but by the time the truck pulled to a stop, Lance was awake and vigilant, stress building inside him. There was a click, and the doors opened slowly, Revealing five heavily armored guards. Two men came forward, looking weary. Lance sighed, but didn't move.  
He knew better.  
The two tussled him, forcing him to his feet. Just by the sudden movement, Lance felt lightheaded. "I - I need to...." He muttered, staggering.   
"Bring a stretcher!" A man ordered, and soon enough Lance was laying down, his arms and legs strapped down so he didn't try to escape. Lance was growing dizzier by the second. He was transported down a long, narrow hallway, that looked similar to a hospital. But it was no ordinary hospital. Guards stood by almost every door.  
He began to squirm, panicked.  
Terrible memories flashed in his head.   
Memories of lab tests.   
People prodding him.   
Hurting him.  
Nearly drowning him.  
Horrid, horrid experiments leaving him scared and wounded, sobbing in the corner of a pitch dark room.  
Lance found himself being wheeled into a room.  
Bright lights hit his face.  
Doctors roamed around him, and he yelled out in terror as they approached him. There was sharp pain in his arm, and a female voice echoing in his ears. Everything was fading, and the last thing he remembered was a doctor leaning over him.

When Lance woke up, he was in the same room.  
He looked down.  
There was an IV in his arm, and his wounds were bandaged over. Lance attempted to pull his arm up, but the restraints restricted the movement.  
Lance groaned.  
A few minutes passed before a doctor came in, and Lance just then realized a guard was standing by the door. He must have been keeping watch, and notified them when Lance woke. Lance stiffened and growled, "Where am I?"   
The doctor ignored him for several moments, filling out paperwork of some sort. Then, they spoke.   
"How do you feel?"   
Lance scowled. They seemed to deliberately avoid the question. " _Mierda_. That's Spanish for shit. Where the hell am I?"   
They looked up from their clipboard. "A highly secure hospital wing next to a highly secure prison."   
Lance closed his eyes.   
Great. Thanks for the helpful information.  
They came over, and already Lance was trying to get away. "I'm not going to hurt you, Frost. I just need to check your bandages." Lance took a shaky breath, trying to tell himself to trust her.   
_It's okay_ _._  
 _It's okay_ _._  
 _It's okay_ _._  
 _It's okay_.  
Lance sat through the process with an increased heartbeat. After she finished, she said, "You will be here another day or two before moving to the prison."  
All Lance could do was nod.  
His whole body was numb.   
He still couldn't believe that he had been caught.  
What would become of him?

* * *

The school was planned to be shut down for one or two weeks at most after the shootout. To Keith's surprise, the shooters had shot around 25 students and teachers in total, though only 13 students died, and 2 teachers.  
It was no ordinary bullet they used, which was proven later.  
There was many questions Keith had, but he knew no answers would be shared. To Keith's theories and from what he already knew, the group came looking for Frost, which meant that Frost went to Keith's school.   
Keith sat on his bed the morning the students were allowed back on campus. They allowed kids to return after the fifth day following the shootout. He stared up at the ceiling thoughtlessly for about an hour.  
  
But then a thought hit him.  
  
Hit him so hard he almost fell off the bed when he sat up abruptly, looking over to Lance's empty bed.   
Where was he?   
Keith felt his awareness grow by the second. He got up, searching through Lance's stuff. He felt slightly bad for going through his friend's things without permission, but he had to look for something....  
And finally? Keith found what he was looking for.   
A printout of a selfie.  
Thank god, because Keith had no photos of Lance.   
He quickly left his room.  
He had to find Pidge.

He knocked loudly on their door.   
"Pidge, open up!"   
There was silence for a second, and Keith thought that she may not be in the room. He was getting ready to leave when the door opened.   
"Keith?"  
The two linked gazes.  
"Do you still have a printer?"

Pidge let Keith in, and they set up next to her printer. As Keith was scanning the photo, Pidge asked, "Sooo, what's this for?"   
Without looking up, Keith replied, "It's complicated. Lance hasn't shown up or texted for a while. I'm a little worried and...." Keith stopped himself. He didn't think it was good idea to tell Pidge what he was up to.  
Not yet.  
Instead, when the copy of the photo printed, Keith took the two photos and began to leave.   
"Thanks Pidge. I will explain a little more later."   
Pidge stared, confused. "Uhm... okay...? Your welcome..?"

Keith left and went to his room. He pulled out his pens, laying the copy of the selfie down on his desk. He began to scribble over the drawing, slowly creating a new image. Keith held it up once he was finished.   
He had colored Lance blue, and put him in the outfit he knew all too well. From his secretive bag, he snached out a photo.   
A photo of Frost.   
He looked at all three copies for a second, before leaning back, running his hand through his hair.   
Dots were beginning to connect.   
From day one, something had seemed so familiar about Lance, driving Keith crazy. He finally figured it out.

 _Lance was Frost_.

That explains his absence.  
And his extreme flexibility in gym.   
It also explained his breakdown, and telling Keith he couldn't talk about it.  
And the phone call.  
And why Frost looked so much like Lance without his mask on.

Keith felt overwhelmed with emotions.   
Lance was his friend, but also his rival. Keith didn't even want to start thinking about his vast criminal record.   
Keith closed his eyes.   
Even so, he liked Lance both ways. He wouldn't have had those thoughts about kissing him if he didn't.... right?  
However, as Keith thought, he began to become more anxious. If Lance was Frost, that meant he was in jail. And right now, Keith wanted Lance back more than anything. He felt as if something was missing without that cheerful smile, and his extremely... _ridiculously_ cute laugh.  
But how would Keith see the Cuban boy again?   
The more Keith thought, one answer came to his head. He tried to push it away, but every single time, it came back, stronger and stronger.   
He would have to break his friend out of prison.   
Somehow.   
The idea itself seemed absurd, but he knew he had to.   
So, Keith ran back to Pidge's room.  
Pidge let him in once again.  
"What is it now?"  
Even if she said the sentence with irritation, a smile was plastered on her face. To her, it was funny to see Keith get excited about something. The black haired boy took a breath.   
"How capable are you at hacking into high tech security?"


	13. Leave Me Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frost is being put under some tests, and he decides to act out.

Lance had been in prison for a week.  
He was under a lot of supervision, even while in his cell. At the minimum, at least one guard stood on watch at all times outside his cell door. Nobody wanted a super villain with ice powers and an increased amount of strength on the loose.  
Lance hadn't healed a lot.  
After the two days staying in the hospital wing, they stopped checking on him. His wounds were not being treated, therefore they were not healing in a healthy way.  
Truthfully, he was scared.   
Scared of what would happen to him.

It was lunchtime, and Lance had been pacing in his cell. The slot of the steel door opened, and a knock was heard.  
"Lunch, buddy."  
Lance walked over to look at the food, making a face under his mask which was kept on his face for safety precautions. Lance took it, and as the officer attempted to close the small hole in the door, Lance stopped it with a blast of ice.   
"By the way, I'm nobody's buddy, so stop calling me that."  
The guard's voice on the other side of the door voice was stiff when he replied.   
"You need to think about your actions. Threatening or insulting an officer results in punishment. If I were you, I would be wise and keep it mellow. With your wounds, I don't think I would want to face any beatings."   
Point taken.   
So, with a wave of his hand, the ice on the sliding door melted away, making it slam shut. Lance picked up the tray of food and sat down on the floor to eat. Even if it wasn't appetizing, he needed the nutrients to build up strength. He was on some sort of drug that messed with his energy levels, making it harder to use his powers, he could tell.  
Not to mention his horrible wounds that were bound to become infected by now. They were driving Lance crazy with pain.  
He didn't know how much longer he could keep his disguise, either. It was only a matter of time until he lost the strength to stay in his "Frost" form.  
But whatever happens, he cannot and _will not_ reveal his true identity.   
_No matter what._  
So, after eating, Lance plopped down on the uncomfortable cot, a dreamless sleep claiming him. 

The next morning Lance woke up, startled, to the sound of harsh pounding on his door.  
"Stand down, Frost, we are transporting you."   
They wouldn't mess with him without a fight.  
This was his only chance to have a little excitement, and just maybe try to escape. Why not? He was already at his lowest point, nothing worse could come from it.  
Lance braced himself, and as soon as the door opened, Lance was in action. After having very minimal human interaction, it almost felt good to get punched. He kept it up for a solid minute, but finally Lance was overwhelmed. Someone stuck a needle in his neck, causing Lance to topple down, passing out.   
It was fun while it lasted.

He woke up with a jerk.  
It felt as if it was only a second passed, but he knew it was longer. His arms were tied down to the chair along with his ankles. A few doctors and some sort of officials were in the room, murmuring. When they realized he was awake, their conversations died down. "Hello, Frost." A man said, walking in front of him.  
Lance already didn't like him. He glared up at the man, shooting him daggers.  
"Why am I here?"   
The man smiled, looking back at the others.   
"Impatient, are we?" He straightened up, adjusting his tie.   
"I am here to run some tests on you. Sadly I won't share my name for safety reasons, but you can call me Mr. Z."   
Lance frowned. "What sort of tests are these going to be?"   
Mr. Z smiled a smile that made Lance uncomfortable.   
Lance wanted out.   
He wanted to escape the prying eyes of everyone in the room. It was bringing back horrible memories he would rather forget.  
"I want to get to know your abilities. But- I have to know whether you will cooperate or not." Mr. Z gave an expectant stare, and Lance looked away.   
"Depends on the test," Lance muttered under his breath.  
Instantly there was a beating stick forcing his chin upward to meet Mr. Z's gaze.   
"What was that, Frost?"   
Okay, now Lance knew the deal. They wanted to _forcefully_ make him do their stupid experiments, probably so they can find out everything about him. It wasn't an "if you feel like it" sort of thing.  
Of course it wasn't.  
Lance sighed, and through a clenched jaw, he replied.  
"Fine."   
The stick immediately dropped. Two doctors came over and turned on some sort of device. Lance then became very aware of the restraint on his neck.   
_Crap._  
Everyone left Lance to go into the control room. A speaker crackled to life.   
"Test one. Frost, I would like you to blow some snow."   
He sighed, and obeyed.   
"Try ice."

The tests went on.

That was, until the Mr. Z's tone grew serious.   
"There was evidence that you have a much more increased amount of power that you are not showing us."  
This what Lance feared.  
It took away strength to use those special powers too frequently. And to be honest, he wasn't entirely sure of the powers he possessed, either.   
"I don't know what your talking about."   
From the control room, Mr. Z leaned forward.   
"Are you sure?"  
Lance felt the neck restraint tighten slightly.  
"I don't know," Lance repeated.  
Suddenly, Lance felt a horrid pain radiating down his back, and his body convulsed. Throwing his head back, he shrieked out a sob of pain. The glass of the control room windows cracked, being frosted over lightly.   
"FINE." Lance yelled.  
He didn't know what they did to him, but whatever it was, it _hurt._ The pain ceased to a mild throb.   
Mr. Z already seemed impressed.   
Lance felt blood well in his throat and he spat on the ground. The man spoke to someone else in the room.   
"Send a guard in to take him back, I've seen enough for today. Make sure to put the mask on again. I think that may be the reason he wears it."   
Lance felt a sudden burst of rage bubbling inside him as he saw the door open.  
He hated guards.  
Tests.  
He wasn't some lab experiment!  
The guards moved toward him, and all Lance could hear was the voice in his head screaming.  
 _Leave me alone._  
 _Leave me alone._  
 _Leave me alone._  
 _Leave me alone!_  
For a moment Lance felt no control over his actions. One of the guards unhooked him from the chair and removed the restraints. Lance took this as an opportunity.   
His arms were still handcuffed, but that was okay. In a second he lunged, knocking the guard off his feet. They were surprised, but pulled out their pistol.   
"Stand do-"   
The sentence wasn't finished.   
Lance froze them with cold hatred pulsing through him.  
He wanted to just be left ALONE!  
Three more guards entered the room, guns drawn. Lance backed up, but it wasn't out of surrender. He swiped his hand to the right, ripping the guns from their hands with a gust of icy wind. Then, he transformed his hand into an ice blade. He ran forward, ready to attack them with little mercy.   
But before he could land a blow, there was a click from behind him.   
A dart shot him in the neck.   
Lance's arm jerked up to his neck and he yanked it out on instinct, staring at it with wide eyes. He looked back over to where Mr. Z stood, smiling.   
"Great attempt, Frost, but I'm afraid its not that easy."  
A haze of hallucination set over Lance's vision, and he knew he didn't pull the dart out fast enough.   
Lance felt as if he was disappearing slowly, a Polaroid picture in reverse, washing out of existence. He looked down to see his hands fade away, then his arms, then his body.   
"What.. do you... want...." Lance trailed off, and once again passed out.   
Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess they really have a thing for tranquilizers, lmao. Don't you just love a daily dose of langst?


	14. I Won't Leave You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for a break out starring Pidge, Keith, and Lance. Yeehaw.

Lance woke up to find himself back in his stall.   
What was it about knocking him out?  
By the sounds outside the stall, Lance could tell it was nighttime, or very late evening.   
He sighed, leaning up against the wall. The tests had drained him, and there was still a small amount of blood dripping down his chin. Lance wanted desperately to take off the handcuffs and gloves he was wearing. The cuffs rubbed his wrists, making them hurt terribly. Not to mention his skin was on the verge of bleeding from constantly tugging at them. He looked at the wall, growing sick of staring at the same bland grey color for over a week. Would this be the room he would be living in for the rest of his life?  
Lance closed his eyes, letting out a breath.  
He felt so terribly isolated here. Nobody to talk to.   
Just.... Silence.  
It was slightly unnerving.  
He desperately wished for someone to talk to for some confirmation that he was even _still livin_ g. And as Lance processed this, he realized he wanted _Slate._

What he didn't know, was that Slate was sitting just outside the prison, camping in a car.

* * *

Keith peered over Pidge's shoulder as she did her complex hacking, entering the prison's security system.  
He couldn't believe he was breaking into the prison. He was excited yes, but nervous.  
Was this what Lance felt every time he planned a burglary?  
"Okay Keith, you don't have much time. I'm going to turn off the alarms and put the security cameras on a loop. You have sixty seconds to successfully get inside. I will lead you from there."   
The van door opened.   
Keith was thankful Pidge was doing this for him. He knew he had to explain himself, but it was worth it. She was confused on why he was saving a villain, but when he told her the villain was Lance, she agreed.   
Keith ran and hopped the electric fence that was currently disabled.  
_50 seconds_.  
He sped across the prison yard, quickly dodging the guards on watch and hiding behind a wall. Once he knew he was safe, he continued.   
_40 seconds_.   
Keith felt his heart pound in his chest as he made his way toward a steel door. There was a code he had to type in that Pidge was going to read to him. It had to happen fast, otherwise the security would turn on again and they would be notified that a door was opened. If that happened, he would be caught and questioned.  
Keith shook away his worries, reaching the panel.  
"Okay Pidge. Lead me through this code."   
Pidge spoke from her microphone.   
"Okay, the code is _313 248 317_."   
  
Keith typed the code quickly, anxiousness digging in his skin.   
"Press the green button."   
Keith looked over, punching the button in. There was a faint buzz, and the door unlocked.   
"I'm in," Keith whispered, letting out a sigh of relief.   
"Great. Now, the security cameras are not showing any guards where you are. Walk to the end of the hallway and make a left." Keith nodded, and crept down the hallway.   
"Okay. Keep going down the hallway until you reach another door."   
Pidge led Keith through the jail.   
He slipped by all the guards seen, and so far no alarms have been pulled.   
Keith felt his excitement growing.   
Would Frost... _Lance_ be happy to see him? How would he react?   
Keith was caught in thought, and he almost didn't hear Pidge's warning.   
"Keith! There's guards! Hide! There's a closet behind you, go there."   
Keith felt panicked for a second and cursed under his breath before darting backward, closing the closet door behind him. He held his breath as the guards passed. Their steps were even and unhurried, clearly on patrol. Keith heard Pidge release a breath.   
"Okay. Your safe. The prison cells are up ahead. You have to go through to get to Lance's cell. And that means knocking out the guards."   
Keith sighed, disliking the idea.  
"Okay."  
Keith crept forward.   
"There's a code," He whispered.   
Keith could hear Pidge's fingers working furiously away on her computer keyboard, and in a smug voice, she replied, "Not anymore." Keith opened the door slowly.   
"You have a minute before their alarm systems turn on again."   
Keith wasted no time.   
He took out the first two guards silently, but once his presence was known, the room became filled with yells, both by policemen and prisoners. Keith jumped up to the second floor, knocking out the other four guards. Then he reached the ground floor, glancing at the different stalls as he proceeded to the back of the room. He ignored all the comments made by the prisoners.   
They didn't matter.   
All that mattered to Keith was Lance.  
The name replayed in his head like a broken record.  
Lance.  
Lance.  
Lance.  
Lance.  
Lance.  
Finally, he made it to the end of the hallway and turned a sharp corner to reach a steel door, different than the normal barred doors the other cells had. This had no openings at all except two slots. One for someone to peek in, another to put a tray of food down. This was obviously Lance's stall.   
"You're there." Pidge reminded Keith, and he realized he had been standing there for a few seconds too long. Taking a breath, Keith walked over to the door.   
He managed to crack the lock, and opened the door slowly. Unsure of what he was going to find, he tentatively whispered, "Frost?"

There, Lance sat on the ground.   
Keith was upset by the condition his friend was in. He obviously was in some amount of pain, and he looked up to Keith in disbelief.  
"S-Slate...?"   
Keith smiled.   
"Hey."   
In an instant Lance was attempting to stand to greet Keith. Keith came over, making Lance sit back down.  
"H-How? Why...? How did..."   
Lance was stumbling over his words, tears streaming down his face. Keith leaned forward and hugged Lance tightly.   
"I'm here."  
Lance quieted down, his body still shaking. Finally, the tears dried up, Lance's chest still doing those kind of racking sobs but nothing came out.  
"But why?"   
Keith buried his face deep into Lance's shoulder.   
Keith's lip quivered and he swore if he started crying he would never forgive himself.  
"Because you don't deserve to be locked up like this." He paused before adding, "You're just going to sit and rot here, and I can't watch that happen."  
Lance squeezed Keith tightly, afraid that if he was to let go, it would all disappear.   
After a few moments of reassurance, Keith leaned back.   
"We have to go."   
Lance looked uneasy, but nodded. The two got up, Lance on shaky feet.   
"You sure you can manage?"   
Lance was gritting his teeth but shook Keith away.   
"I'm fine, don't worry about me."

They made their way down the hallways, thinking that they may get away without running into anyone.  
But of course, life wasn't like a simple action movie. Of course they were wrong to assume they wouldn't face any patrols.  
As they turned the corner to the last hallway, they ran right into five guards who turned at the two's approach.  
"Freeze!"  
Lance stepped in front of Keith.  
It was.... protective.   
Keith was shocked when Lance spoke in a dangerously low tone.  
"Im the only one who gets to say that."  
A blast of ice hit the guards, sending them flying backwards.   
Lance was using too much powers without regaining energy.   
Keith saw Lance turn an even paler blue, and immediately rushed to support his friend as he collapsed.   
"Frost!"   
Lance's eyes were halfway closed, and his breathing was shallow.  
Keith looked up at the door in growing anxiety.  
"Pidge, is there any way you could pull up closer?"   
There was silence for a few moments before there was a response.  
"Yeah."  
Keith looked back down at Lance.  
"Come on bud, just a little farther...."   
"H-Hey... why don't you j-just leave me?"  
Keith was surprised by Lance's hushed reply.   
"I'm n-not worth it, Sl-Slate...."   
Keith felt a small twinge of anger and sadness spike through him.  
"Of course your worth it!" Keith yelled at Lance, catching his friend by surprise. "Dammit, if you weren't worth it I wouldn't be here now! You are worth so much to so many people! Maybe you just don't realize it or something. I know it's cheesy and shit but you are important to _m_ e!"   
Keith took a ragged breath and looked away.   
"I-" he choked. "I can't leave you here."   
Lance stared for a long moment, eyebrows raised in surprise. A small smile spread across his face.  
"Lets go, then."  
He began to stand, and Keith protested.   
"Frost are you sure..."   
Lance looked back at Keith.   
"I'm okay. I promise."   
Keith narrowed his eyes, but nodded. They made their way to the door, then across the yard. Keith looked back behind himself, making sure nobody was following them.  
So far so good.

Keith saw the black van ahead.  
When Keith looked back at Lance, he felt nervous to see Lance's tan skin beginning to splotch over his frost colored skin. Lance was dim eyed, and occasionally spit blood on the ground, but pressed onward, determined. It wasn't until they were just feet from the car that more policemen appeared to the scene. Lance cursed under his breath, turning around to face the cops.   
"Come on guys, seriously?"   
Keith looked at Lance in trepidation.   
He was going to use his powers again.  
"Stand down, Frost...and _Slate_."   
Lance closed his eyes, summoning the last ounce of energy he had left in his body.   
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that."  
He waved a hand, and in an instant, the cops were frozen in place.  
Lance swayed, and Keith caught him as he fell backward.   
"Idiot," Keith muttered, climbing into the back of the van. A cheerful voice greeted Keith from the front of the car.   
"Yes! Good job!"   
Keith smiled for a second before saying in a serious tone, "Step on it. We need to get out of here."   
Pidge did so, and then they were off, hurdling down the road.


	15. You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets are uncovered, but is it a good or bad thing? But hey. They're safe, and that's what matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaay! New chapter! Whoot whoot! Let's go!

Keith peered back over to Lance.  
His frost coloring was almost completely gone on half his face, revealing the tan, lightly freckled skin Keith knew well.   
Lance's voice caught Keith off guard.  
"It wasn't supposed to be this way," Lance murmured, his eyes opening a crack.   
There was sadness in his voice, and his eyes began to water.  
"You were never supposed to figure out who I am."   
Keith couldn't hold back a small smile. His stomach squeezed with nerves, not from what he said, but the voice that said it.   
It was him.  
Lance.   
Even if his skin was still speckled with an icy sheen, the timbre was the same in his voice.  
It was _him_.   
Lance stared at Keith, confused.   
"What...?"  
Keith closed his eyes, the smile growing larger.   
"I already knew who you are."   
Lance looked bewildered.   
Scared.  
"Wh- How?"  
Keith took a breath.  
"Because...."  
He leaned forward slightly.   
"It is hard to keep secrets like that from your roommate."  
Lance's eyes widened, but wasn't given a chance to respond.  
Keith closed the gap between the two, locking lips with Lance. Lance was obviously beyond surprised, but quickly melted into the kiss, closing his eyes. Keith turned back to his normal human form as he ran a hand through Lance's hair.

Keith remembered Lance saying once, " _I have the arctic's cold laced within me._ "   
And sitting there with him, like this, their bodies touching, Keith could feel it—it was like holding a glacier in his arms; like touching the very surface of Neptune.   
Time slowed down and it was crystal clear, like ice.   
And Keith was content, because he had Lance.   
They were safe.

When the two parted from the kiss, Lance's eyes widened.  
"K-Keith?"   
Keith smiled, but it quickly dissipated when Lance started to tremble. Tentatively, Keith wrapped Lance in a hug in effort to comfort him.  
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...." Lance whimpered, burying his face in Keith's shoulder.   
"I'm-"   
Keith squeezed Lance tighter, holding him for a second.  
"Shh."  
Keith stroked Lance's soft hair, and that seemed to calm the distressed male down.   
"If you say your sorry one more time I'm going to throw you out of the van."   
Lance pulled away, shaking his head.  
"But I am Keith! I never meant for this to happen. If I knew you were Slate... I would never..."  
Keith pressed a finger to Lance's lips, silencing him.  
"Lance. It's okay."   
The two stared at each other for a few moments before Lance looked away.  
"You should be disappointed, you shouldn't... have _feelings_ for me Keith."   
Keith took Lance's hands in his own, holding them to his chest.   
"I accept you in both forms, Lance. Don't worry about the past and all your mistakes. I understand it's not entirely your fault."   
Lance still looked unconvinced.  
Keith sighed and pressed his a small kiss to Lance's forehead in reassurance.  
"The point is," Keith said softly, "It doesn't matter what form you are in, I like you just the same. Frost or not Frost, it's still the same person behind the mask." Keith paused before adding with an eye roll and a smirk, "I mean, you still can be a real asshole and overall a complete idiot while in your Frost form, though."   
Lance laughed at that, but it quickly died off into ragged coughing.  
"Stop looking at me like I'm about to die. I'm okay," Lance wheezed through a scratchy throat.

A voice from the front of the truck caught them off guard.  
"Keith, we are here!"   
Lance stared at Keith uneasily.   
"Is that Pidge?"   
Keith looked away, guilty.  
"I needed some help to get you out," Keith explained, as if his excuse would hide the fact that he already told someone else Lance's secret.  
Lance's face was painfully blank, and Keith was worried his friend would be mad.   
But, Lance said in a flat tone, "Don't tell anyone else about who I am, okay? That could get me in serious trouble."   
Keith nodded, seeing the obvious nervous irritation held in Lance's gaze as he stared forward.  
"I'm not, but she was the only way I could get to you."   
Lance gave a curt nod in understanding, but didn't look back at Keith.  
Finally, Pidge pulled the van to a stop and they all got out. The three left the van in an empty parking lot so nobody would track them.  
Keith could hear police sirens in the distance, but chose to ignore their shrill wails.  
The three walked in silence back to the dorm. It was late and really, what could they discuss? There was too much that happened in over a span of the night, and all three were preoccupied in their own thoughts.  
Lance looked up to see the moon full above them, and it made him feel lonely to look at it; lonely and cold, and he was thankful that they were getting close to the dorm.   
Lance wanted to sleep.  
He wanted his dreams to pull him from the world and make him forget. To put an end to the ache that consumed him.

It wasn't until they reached the dorm hallway that Pidge whispered, "Come to my room."   
Lance casted a sideways glance to Keith, but followed her in.

Closing the door, Pidge turned to Lance.   
"Your bandages on your arm look like they should be changed. I also have some power bars in case you're hungry."  
Lance stayed silent, sitting on Pidge's bed.  
How did Keith and Pidge act so... comfortable around him like nothing happened? Like he wasn't the bank robbing, dangerous criminal he was?  
Keith sat down next to Lance on instinct.   
Pidge came back with a medical kit and some food, placing it next to Lance.   
"Thanks, Pidge," Lance mumbled, grabbing a bar and unwrapping it. "This is so much better than the food I had for the whole time I was in prison."   
Pidge smiled, then glanced at his arm bandages.   
"Is that the only place you were hurt?"   
Lance frowned.  
"N-No."   
He sucked in a breath before stripping off his shirt, revealing the bloody bandages underneath.  
Pidge's eyes widened, and she adjusted her glasses.   
"God, what happened..?"   
Lance looked up at the ceiling.   
"I got shot three times. The wound on my arm was from the police officers after I um... attacked them."   
Pidge nodded her head in understanding, but Lance still detected the concern painted across her face.  
"Is it okay if...?"  
Lance nodded quickly, closing his eyes. Pidge gingerly began to remove the bandages, cautious not to hurt him.  
Okay.... maybe Pidge was a little untrusting now knowing that he was Frost. The way she spoke and moved around seemed to scream " _I don't fully trust you anymore."_  
Keith jumped slightly when he felt Lance's hand rest on his, and he tentatively grasped it in effort to comfort him.  
"Gosh, did they _ever_ change the bandages?" Pidge muttered.  
Lance scowled and said bitterly, "Only twice. I don't really think they were too keen on being near me."   
Pidge let in an audible gasp as she viewed the damage revealed.  
"Lance...."  
Keith looked over, shock rippling in his chest.

The injuries were _bad_.   
It wasn't just the areas he got shot that were bad, either. He had other injuries, evidence from his visit at the prison, painted across his chest and stomach as well.   
Keith felt guilty.  
He could have prevented further injury if he got Lance out sooner. Almost as if Lance could sense the guilt radiating off Keith, he murmured softly, "It's not your fault, Keith...."  
Keith looked up at Lance for a moment before averting his gaze. "If only I got there sooner..."   
Lance shook his head, and Keith was surprised to see a small smile escape his bloodstained lips.   
"Keith."  
Lance leaned forward and cupped Keith's cheeks in his hands. Piercing blue met deep purple.  
"It's okay. I'm here now. Right?"  
"Yeah but..."  
"No. Don't do that to yourself. Shit happens. God, I've definitely learned that over the course of my life. But what we should think about is that I'm safe now, okay?"  
Keith stared at Lance for a long moment.   
Lance seemed tired, defeated. He removed his hands slowly, before smacking Keith on the head.  
"Now stop shaming yourself, Mullet."   
Keith smiled, giving in. For now, he would leave his thoughts about the situation alone.

By the time Pidge was finished, it was around 4:00 am. In two hours, most people would be awake in the dorm. As Keith and Lance walked back to their own dorm, Keith thought for a moment.   
"I can stop by the pharmacy today to get some medicine for your wounds."  
Lance nodded, and commented, "I don't think going to a hospital would be a good idea. They might ask questions I can't exactly answer."   
Keith didn't respond.   
He wished he could take Lance to get proper care, but yes, that would definitely put them at risk. There was a good chance the doctors would ask how he got shot and by who, and probably wouldn't let them leave immediately. The prison also most likely had logs of the wounds he sustained, so they could track him down from there.

Keith open the door to the dorm, and Lance immediately changed out of his prison clothes, putting on more comfortable pants and a shirt. While he went to the bathroom to wash off his face, Keith changed out of his suit, hiding it in his usual spot.   
Silence claimed the two when Lance came back out, walking to his desk. Keith realized with a jolt he hadn't put away the photos he used to compare Lance to Frost.  
"So... this is how you figured me out?" Lance said plainly.   
Keith couldn't look at him.   
"Yeah, pretty much."  
Keith saw out of the corner of his eye that Lance had picked up the original picture.   
"Why did you go through my stuff?"   
Keith stiffened with the tone of Lance's voice. He sounded paranoid, and slightly angry.   
"I... needed evidence. I knew you must have some sort of photos laying around so..." he trailed off. "I'm sorry."   
Lance turned around a little too sharply.  
"It's... okay! Just ask me next time, ok? I know you couldn't last time because... well... you know. But I don't think anything will happen again."   
Keith nodded, relieved, even if he could tell Lance was covering something up.  
Lance put the photo of himself and the drawn over picture in a folder he had. Keith watched as Lance got into bed, flicking off the light switch in the process.   
Keith stared upward at the ceiling, the room dark and quiet. He thought Lance had fallen asleep, but a soft voice proved him wrong.  
"Hey Keith?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Thanks."  
Keith smiled, looking over at Lance in the dim light they had.   
"No problem."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're welcome? Uh.


	16. Relief, Regret, Regress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is getting used to being back, and the new challenges with it. 
> 
> He also gets a phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOP WHOOP ANOTHER CHAPTER!

Lance was asleep for two days.   
Keith was worried, but he knew Lance had no time to recover while he was locked away in a prison cell. His wounds were healing faster too, thanks to a new mix of medicine Pidge put together.

Now, Keith sat on the edge of Lance's bed, looking down at him. His face was relaxed as he slept, and was incredibly still. The only confirmation Keith had that Lance was actually _alive_ was the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Keith sighed, and slowly brought a hand to Lance's.  
Keith closed his eyes for a moment and asked himself, _can you still love someone if you find out they did something bad?_  
He looked back down at Lance.   
Thought about how soft and intimate the moment felt for him.

_Yes, yes you can. And sometimes? Y_ _ou don’t have much of a choice. You love them whatever. You love them forever, no matter what they did._

Keith didn't exactly know how he got to that conclusion.   
He didn't even exactly know his feelings for his friend yet. It was a hard thing to admit to yourself. Liking your roommate.  
But not just your roommate.  
A dangerous person you used to fight on an almost weekly basis.  
There were so many complications with the whole scenario as a whole, which bothered Keith on extreme levels.  
Keith opened his eyes again, letting out a long, stress reducing breath.  
He didn't want to think about how Lance would react when he woke up. Would he be happy to see Keith? After all that happened, Keith was afraid he might not.

His thoughts were pulled to an abrupt halt when Lance's arm twitched. As if Lance had burned him, Keith recoiled his hand back with a sharp inhale.   
Lance's eyes opened a moment later.   
"Wh.... Keith?"  
Keith was nervous but replied with an awkward, "H-Hey."  
Lance sat up in the bed, immediately wincing. A low groan resonated in the back of his throat.  
"O-Ow..." Lance said through gritted teeth, leaning slowly back down.  
"What happ....." His voice trailed off, the memories of all that happened coming back to him. He let out another sharp sound, but it was more out of frustration than pain.  
"Ah shit," Lance hissed to himself.  
He looked up at Keith.   
"How long have I been asleep?"   
"Two days. Its 1:00 in the afternoon at the moment."  
Lance put a hand to his face to cover it.   
"Shit..." He repeated.  
Suddenly Lance sat up, startling Keith by the abrupt movement.  
"So you know that I'm-?"   
Keith nodded, looking away.   
"Yeah..."   
Lance took a deep breath.   
"This shouldn't have happened..."   
Keith knew he was right, even if it hurt.   
"I should have been more careful-"  
Keith cut him off with the shake of his head. "No, no. Don't do that. The deed is done. And best of all, we saved a ton of lives."   
Lance was silent for a long moment, before letting a troubled breath outward.   
"I'm... I need to step outside. I need time to... process everything properly."   
Keith gave a nod in understanding, smiling softly.   
"Take your time and be careful. I will be here."   
Lance nodded, getting up and putting on his jacket. Keith watched him go, still concerned for the other's safety.   
_He's fine,_ Keith reassured himself. _It's just for a little while. Nothing terrible will happen. He is strong, even if he's injured._  
Keith flopped over in his bed with a troubled sigh.   
"I wish I could believe what I'm saying," he muttered aloud.   
He was worried.   
Paranoid.  
But then again, who wouldn't be?

* * *

Lance walked down the street. He was in pain, but he didn't want to go back.   
Not yet.   
Instead, he rested at the coffee shop on the corner. He ordered his drink and a croissant before sitting down with a sigh.   
Nothing felt the same anymore, mostly because it wasn't.  
It would never go back to normal again.

Lance was in the middle of eating when his phone buzzed. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID.

_Unknown caller_

With much hesitation, Lance picked up, putting his phone to his ear.

"Hello, Lance Mcclain speaking."

"Don't think I'm not finished yet."

Lance's blood ran ice-cold.

Why can't he just be left _alone_?

There was a cackle of laughter from the other end.

"I know exactly where you are, you know that don't you? And I think I may know where your... _mother_ is."

The voice dripped in menace, making Lance tense.  
The Cuban chose to be bold with his words.

"Huh, you know where I am? Right now? Then tell me."

The response was calm, and it sent a violent shiver up his spine.

"You, right now, are sitting in the far corner of the cafe near your highschool. You are on the right side of the table."

 _Holy shit_.

"Wh-a... How do you...?"

Lance was trying to stop himself from shivering.

"Someone is going to drop the lid to their drink."

Only a second later, a man in a dark trench coat dropped his lid.  
The two's gazes met for a single second as he bent to grab the item.   
Oh man, this was next level bad.

Lance took in a shaky breath.

"What do you want."

A pause.

"Why don't we... meet in person and discuss our next strike. I will... leave your mother be for a little while - let you have time to think about your decisions."

Lance knew this was risky. There was around a 50% chance this was a set up. But he nodded, feeling all too familiar with the feeling spiking up within him.

"Fine, Where?"

Another pause.

"I will figure that out and text you the location. In the meantime, I would like you to get some more dough from one of the banks. I spent a lot of money in getting all the supplies for the... failed attempt to get you to cooperate."

Lance knew what he was talking about.

"Alright, sir."

Lance was getting back into business again, whether he liked it or not. And truthfully, in some ways, _very_ faintly, he felt at home, like he wasn't out of place.  
This was his job.  
He grew up doing it.  
Not even Keith, or Slate for the matter, could stop what he was so familiar with.

Lance was quiet as he walked back into the dorm.   
He didn't know what to say.   
How do you just strike up a normal conversation with... well... you know.

"Hey," Keith greeted as Lance walked in. He was sitting on his bed, his laptop pulled out.   
"Hi."   
Keith looked up at Lance.  
"You have a good walk...?"  
Lance forced a smile.  
"Yeah, it was great."

 _Lies_.

 _All lies._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything is alright until its not


	17. Worrying is Forbidden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movie!!! Night!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep forgetting to update my chapters lololol

The next few days were slow.  
Since Lance was still pretty immobile, Keith couldn't do much with him. He had no intention on paying his foster family a visit, so he he made up the spare time with Shiro practicing in the gym.   
He had grown to enjoy company with the other male, connecting to him about shared interests and other topics.  
When he was needed, Keith would go out and help the community.  
But overall? It was a calm few days off.

By the second week, Lance had improved by a lot. His wounds were healing nicely, to the point where he didn't necessarily need bandages.  
Keith insisted he kept them on anyway.  
Not only did his wounds improve on extreme measures, but so did his weight. He was more stable, eating his normal meals.   
In general, Lance was feeling better, mentally and physically.  
Except for one thing nagging at the back of his mind.  
He would have to rob a bank once he was fit enough for the job. He knew that would be soon, too, proven by his massive recovery over the past week. He was capable of walking now without wincing every step. He went to the gym every morning to stretch and practice the most he could. It would only be a matter of time before he was good as new.

"Do you want to do something?" Keith asked one of the mornings as they sat lazily around in the room. Lance was busy studying a single snowflake as it danced around his fingers. The brunette barely looked up to reply to Keith.   
"Like what?"  
Keith shrugged, attempting to amuse himself by looking out the window.   
"I don't know. It's just... you've been inside for a few days now and I think it is a good time to finally get outside. It's a really nice day, too."   
Lance's gazed over to Keith and said flatly, "You don't have to worry about me so much. Besides, it might not be a good idea for me to go out at the moment."  
Keith's eyes were quizzical.   
"What do you mean?"  
Lance didn't reply at first. He wasn't sure it was a good idea to mention that his father was watching every move he made.  
"What do you mean?"  
Lance waved Keith's repeated question off. He didn't want to answer it.   
But Keith was relentless in getting Lance to answer him. He sat up straighter, his full attention directed to his roommate sitting across the room.   
"Lance, what do you mean it's not a good idea?"   
Lance shook his head, no longer wanting to dwell on the conversation.   
"Nothing, Keith. It's fine."  
Keith was getting slightly frustrated.   
"No Lance, don't do that 'it's fine' thing, because most of the time it isn't fine. I just thoug-"   
Lance cut Keith off with an irritated sigh.  
"Keith, I don't want to go out because I might be tracked, okay?"   
Keith's gaze immediately softened, dropping to the floor.  
"Oh."  
Lance was quiet.   
"Why don't we just stay on campus? Nobody should see us if we stay on school grounds."   
Lance let out a long exhale of defeat.  
Maybe a walk would be good.   
"Sure, why not."

Almost as soon as the two left the building, they were accompanied by Pidge and Hunk. It was awkward for Lance to see Pidge besides her visits to check on him. There was a slight rift in their friendly relationship, he could tell. Pidge was more cautious around him, trailing closer to Keith or Hunk.  
Lance felt the ache in his chest grow bigger, but he blocked it out with a smile.  
It's what he's always done.

"Do you guys want to go see a movie or something tonight?" Hunk was slurping down a large homemade smoothie as the group walked aimlessly around the campus.   
"I have to finish a report for one of my classes," Pidge commented with a frown. Lance laughed, stealing Hunk's smoothie to take a sip.   
"Loosen up Pidge, it's only one night."   
"Hanging out with you guys is not productive."   
Lance rolled his eyes.   
"Not everything _has_ to be productive, Pidge. Come on, we can go see a movie, it will be fun."  
Pidge let out an exasperated sigh.  
"Fine, but someone else is paying for my ticket."   
Lance winked. "I gotcha covered."

To Lance, maybe a night back together with his friends would help him reconnect to everyone, and take his mind away from his worries. How would one of his father's workers find him, anyways? It could have been a sheer coincidence that one of the workers was in the coffee shop. Either way, Lance planned to enjoy himself tonight, for old times' sake.

The three walked around talking and joking for a while longer before Pidge declared, "If we are going to a movie, I have to get a head start on the essay." Hunk nodded, checking his watch.   
"We can meet up outside the dorm at 8:30 to get to the movie on time. Sounds good?"   
They were at an agreement, so Pidge and Hunk split off toward the dorm, leaving Lance and Keith alone.  
"Didn't you just say only a while ago that you were worried about going outside off campus? Why all of a sudden the interest to go see a movie?"   
"I thought getting out of the dorm and hanging out with everyone was a good idea. If I go out it might be a little less obvious I'm hiding, too." Lance smiled faintly. "And I really can't say no to Hunk."   
Keith was intrigued at the mentioning of Hunk. He could tell they were friends, but as Keith got to know Lance, he began to realise that Hunk and Lance were very close. Closer than Pidge and Hunk, but not by much. It surprised Keith on how self sacrificing Lance really was as a person. He was almost the opposite of selfish, and that is a good quality to have for any hero. So why was it that Lance chose a life of crime?  
Or did he even really have a choice?

A light breeze picked up when Lance, Keith, Hunk, and Pidge left the dorm to go to the movie. Though Lance wasn't bothered by the cold itself, he was still slightly annoyed as it ruffled his hair. Pidge was shivering as she walked, clearly upset that she didn't bring something warmer out. With only a second's hesitation, Lance stripped off his own jacket and handed it to Pidge. She stared at him for a second, as if she was distrustful of him, but then smiled and took the jacket.   
Lance looked away from her.   
_Just because I am_ him _doesn't mean you can't trust me_.   
To ignore that factor, Lance chose to pay attention to the people around him. More than once he experience a split second of panic whenever he saw someone coming toward him in a trench coat, only to find them uninterested in him.   
_Relax_ , Lance said to himself. _You're okay_.  
A shove to his side caused Lance to flinch, and he looked over to see Hunk's worried expression.   
"You alright, Lance? Your looking a bit pale."  
It took a brief moment for Lance to notice how deep he was digging his nails into his palms.   
"Yeah... I'm fine. I just thought I saw something, that's all."   
Hunk nodded, looking at Lance one more time before continuing his conversation with Pidge. Making sure nobody was looking, Lance raised a hand to inspect his palm.   
He had drawn blood.   
With a deep breath in, Lance glazed over the wound with ice. Then, he shoved his hands into his jean's pockets.   
By that time, they were across from the theater.  
"What movie are we seeing?" Keith asked Hunk, who told them it was a surprise.   
"Only the best," Hunk said with a grin. "Marvel's Avengers: Endgame."  
Pidge high-fived Hunk for his choice, letting out a little whoop of excitement.  
"I've been wanting to see that for so long!"   
They all burst out into a conversation on what the movie would be like. Lance was both surprised and unsurprised that Keith knew so much about the Marvel universe. But, he figured it was because he was a hero himself.   
As they crossed the road, Lance's gaze shifted to the car stopped to let them cross.  
Something about it looked overly familiar, until he realized it was his dad's car.   
He could recognize the dark van's license plate anywhere.  
Lance looked up to the driver, making eye contact.   
It felt as if time slowed down.   
Their gazes locked, Lance's father's gaze narrowing. Even if it was a mere two seconds, it felt like eternity.  
Lance blinked and ran off to join his friends.   
He wouldn't let his father ruin this for him.

* * *

Keith had kept an eye on Lance on the way to the theater, making sure the other was okay. He could tell Lance was under some amount of stress, and he wanted desperately to comfort his friend. However, ever since the prison incident, Lance seemed closed off and unwilling to fully face Keith.   
Upsetting as it was, Keith understood. Lance had every reason to have his guard up.   
But Keith was willing to try and break the ice between them and let Lance understand that he wouldn't betray him. That he could trust Keith with his concerns.

"Keith!"

Keith blinked for a second, his thoughts coming back to him. In front of him stood Shiro. The group had made an agreement to let Shiro tag along earlier, since nobody had been formally introduced yet.  
As everyone was shaking hands with Shiro, Pidge gave Shiro a narrowed eye stare.   
"You're friends with Matt Holt, aren't you?"   
Shiro was obviously caught off guard by the question and turned to face Pidge.   
"Wh- Matt? Yeah, I am."   
Pidge stuck out her hand.   
"I'm Pidge. You might remember me as Katie."   
Shiro's eyes widened. "Oh, Katie! Your brother used to talk about you a lot. Come to think of it, he still does. I recognize the name Pidge, too."   
She smiled, pushing her glasses up.   
"Hate to rain on your parade, but we should get our seats," Hunk interjected.   
Shiro smiled. "Of course, let's go."   
Keith walked near the back as they entered the theater.   
His attention darted to Hunk when the bigger male called out to Lance and Pidge, "Whoever reaches the counter last has to pay!"

There was no hesitation between the three, and Keith already found himself watching Lance book it toward the counter. There was no way he would back down from such an easy challenge. Pidge was on his tail, beginning to run ahead. However a child ran in front of her and she had to pull awkwardly out of the way to avoid hitting the kid. She ended up running into Hunk in the process, and the two collided and fell to the floor.  
In the end, Hunk ended up having to pay for Lance and Pidge's food.  
The group came out with two large popcorns, sodas and icees, as well as a truck load of candy.   
They were prepared.   
On the way to the theater doors Lance tripped over his untied shoelace and spilled the popcorn.   
At least there was free refills.  
And before long?  
The movie started.


	18. It's Hard To Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to break habits that you've done for forever. Lance just needs to learn to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *inhales* let's do this thing.

After the movie ended, the group decided to make their way back to the dorms. They were in shock after what happened during the movie, and where things would lead next. Already Hunk and Pidge were making theories about things, Lance occasionally chipping in an idea.  
Keith was fairly quiet, listening without making any comments. He enjoyed the peace as he and his friends walked down the dark street of the downtown area. There was the faint sound of the wind rustling the tree's leaves and the sounds of the people walking down the street on their way to shows, restaurants, bars. It was pleasing, and Keith felt secure.   
Shiro noticed how Keith was smiling and decided to speak.   
"I have always loved coming to this area of town during the night."   
Keith looked up at the taller male and nodded, looking at a restaurant they passed by.   
"Me too. It's really nice out tonight."   
Shiro smiled, glancing at the other three. "I'm glad I came with you guys tonight. It was really great meeting all your friends." Keith nodded.  
"Anytime, I enjoyed it too."

As if it was a signal for them to end their conversation, Shiro's phone buzzed. Shiro pulled it out before reading the text message that came in to him.   
"I'm sorry, I need to go. My family friend needs some help at her family owned shop. I will see you around." Keith nodded, waving Shiro off. His attention turned back to the three friends, only to find himself looking at Pidge and Hunk, Lance nowhere to be seen.   
"Hey guys?"  
Pidge and Hunk looked over to Keith.  
"Where is Lance?"  
Hunk shrugged. "He said he had to do something important, I don't know. He didn't really say much before running off."   
Keith and Pidge shared glances toward each other.   
They both knew Lance might be doing something in his Frost form. Keith was about to speak but Pidge shook her head, knowing what he was going to say.  
_Don't do it,_ she mouthed, and Keith agreed.  
He shouldn't go out looking for Lance.   
Yet.  
Instead, they walked back to the dorms. Hunk admitted he was tired, so Pidge came over to hang out in Keith and Lance's room. Keith tried calling Lance but failed.  
They would just have to wait.

Lance knew he shouldn't have ditched the group, but he had received a text message with a single symbol.

_$_

Lance knew he had to make the trip to the bank tonight, otherwise he might get into trouble.   
It would be much more difficult for Lance to get money now since Keith knew his identity. If Keith found out Lance was sneaking away to go on his missions, well, Lance didn't know what would happen. So he decided to make it quick.  
Get in, get out. Get back before anyone gets suspicious.  
His cover-up?  
He had to check on his mom.  
The bank was quiet when Lance entered. He was quick about freezing the cameras to block video feed, and maneuvered around the security motion detectors easily, until he reached the safe.   
Same drill, same drill, same drill.  
Get the money, get out.  
Simple.  
So why was Lance so nervous all of a sudden? He's done this all his life!  
Lance felt relief when he filled the bag and successfully made an escape.   
Now, it was time to go back.

* * *

_Hi, you've reached the voicemail of Lance McClain. Please leave a message and I will call you back as soon as possible. Thanks._

Keith put down his phone, frustrated that he reached Lance's voicemail for the third time that night. Pidge sat upside down on his bed, scrolling through her own phone.   
"No answer?"  
"None. It's troubling. He just... left."  
Pidge looked over to Keith who was leaning against Lance's bed. "Do you think he's out doing... stuff?"   
Keith wasn't sure. He wanted to trust Lance that he would stop robbing banks. Stop all the bad. But alas, Keith knew it wouldn't be that easy. Things can't change in one night, let alone two weeks.  
But either way Keith wanted to know what the boy was doing.  
So, by the time the clock reached 12:00, Keith kicked Pidge out.  
He would set a trap.  
It wasn't exactly fair, but still. Keith has his duties, whether he liked them or not.   
The dark-haired boy flicked off the light, and sat down on his bed in the dark.   
There, he would wait.

* * *

After dropping the bag off at his father's work, Lance moved fast on the way home, jumping from roof to roof under the pale moonlight.  
When he reached the dorms, he could feel the quietness around him.  
The tension.  
It was so silent. The crickets he heard only moments prior had swallowed their song, the wind hushed, the leaves still, and their rustling gone.   
Just a dull, unsettling silence.  
Lance breathed in.  
He made his way to the window, which was already cracked open to let in fresh air.   
As quietly as possible, Lance removed the screen and entered their room.   
There, he let out a large breath of relief.   
He made it.  
He began to walk toward the closet to change.  
But only a few steps in, the light suddenly flickered on.  
Lance froze in his tracks.

He had gotten caught.

"Its about time you showed up."

Keith was sitting on his bed, his gaze sharp and he held an unhappy frown.  
Lance tried to play it cool, though his heart was beating fast.   
"What? Were you waiting for me to come back?"  
Keith's eyebrows furrowed. He was in no mood for sass and jokes, that much was obvious.   
"Actually yes, in fact, I was."  
Lance shifted nervously on his feet.   
"Well I uh..."   
"What were you doing out at this hour, might I ask?"  
Lance didn't reply right away. He kept walking toward the closet, until a blade suddenly came flying in his direction, lodging into the wall.   
"What the hell, Keith?!"  
Lance was equally unhappy now. He turned angrily and stared at Keith on the other side of the room.   
"Answer me, Lance. What were you doing? Stealing again?" Lance clenched his fist, digging his nails into his skin.   
"I was doing business for my father. It had to be done Keith, or else a repeat of what happened last time might occur."   
Keith's gaze was sad. Almost hurt.   
Lance felt equally broken. He was guilty, too.  
He was guilty because he knew that Keith thought he might be changing after the incident.   
In a way, he betrayed Keith's trust.  
"I'm sorry, Keith," Lance murmured, barely above a whisper.

Keith was hurt, yes. But it wasn't exactly because of Lance's actions. It was because of how broken down and powerless Lance was in the situation. It hurt to see such a spirited person be so vulnerable. It just wasn't right.

Any fire Keith had in him vanished. He sighed, closed his eyes.  
"I understand, and I... I'm sorry too, for being such an asshole." Lance smiled and chuckled lightly.   
"Throwing knifes at people isn't always the best way to solve a problem."   
"I don't know what came across me right then," Keith laughed in agreement.   
"It must have been your feral cat instincts!" Lance said with a smirk and made clawing movements toward Keith.   
Keith rolled his eyes.  
"Go get changed, idiot."

After getting situated, Keith turned off the light, leaving the two in silence.   
Lance stared at the ceiling.  
Tomorrow, he was most likely going to meet up with his father. And normally, face to face meetings did not go so well. He knew he had to be prepared for something to go wrong. As it had in the past.  
Lance let out a breath, shuddering, but not from the cold.  
He was scared.  
And truthfully?  
He never felt so terribly alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is angst, so get ready :,)


	19. Submerged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Guys... uh it's pretty cold in here," Lance mused, but no response was heard.

It was 6:00 AM.  
Lance received an anonymous text naming a location. With that in all caps, it said:  
_DON'T BE LATE. 10:00 SHARP._  
Lance recognized the location, too.  
It was the place they conducted tests on him when he was younger.

Lance wasn't exactly sure what he was getting into when he agreed to the meeting. For all he knew, they could be trying to punish him, or try another test on him.  
But, a deal was a deal, and backing out of it would not be a wise choice.   
Lance sat up on his bed, tucking his legs into his chest. Anxiety flowed through him, and he tried to close his eyes and calm down.

 _I don't wanna go._  
_I don't wanna go._  
_I don't wanna go._

He stayed in the position for around 12 minutes before finally regaining himself.   
With a shuddering breath, Lance changed, stuffing some money in his pocket. He went over to his desk and wrote a note to Keith in case he got worried.

_Out meeting someone. Be back later. I will get dinner on the way back. -L_

Lance hurried out, stopping by the coffee shop. He ordered some food and a coffee before calling an Uber.

Lance made sure they dropped him off around 10 minutes away from the location, just in case.  
After the car left, Lance changed to his Frost form, however, he wasn't wearing his normal suit. Just a plain shirt that said _PARENT ADVISORY. EXPLICIT CONTENT_.  
Lance walked down the road, taking note of how ghetto the area looked. A normal person would definitely think the place was a sketchy, low income community.  
Little did they know it was an area where many crooks, burglars, and gang members hung out - including his father's business.

The Cuban pressed onward, until he finally reached a medium sized building.   
It looked like any other warehouse around the area, with dirty red bricks and dark olive green doors and window frames.  
A perfect disguise for a secret lab.   
Lance took a deep breath before walking forward. Three men were sitting out front smoking in chairs, their heads lifting at Lance's approach.  
"Boss is inside," one nodded to Lance. Lance opened the door, greeted by a gust of cool air from the air conditioning.

His father was talking to someone in a white suit that looked like a doctor. At the sight of Lance's entry, Lance's father walked over.   
"Hi papa-"  
Lance didn't have a chance to finish his sentence.  
A punch to the jaw sent Lance reeling. Lance brought a hand up to his face, then up to his father.   
"Wha-?"  
"You should _never_ get captured! What the hell is with you? You could have gotten away, but your weak ass decided to stay! Furthermore, you could have agreed to the task assigned to you. You wouldn't have had to fight my men!"   
Lance looked away, torn.   
He knew all this already. It was his decision.   
There was no way he would ever inflict pain on his mama. His father should have known this.  
Dismissing that issue, Lance's father turned.   
"You're probably wondering why I called you here today. Come, I will explain as we walk."

Lance followed as his father pushed two doors open, walking down a hallway with buzzing, flickering lights.   
"I want you to continue considering your mother as a problem needing to be solved. In the meantime, I need you to break into someone's home. They have evidence of a robbery with my face in the video. If the police get their hands on it, then I'm a dead man. I need you to delete the footage, kill them, and also get their credit card number for personal purposes. Got that?"   
Lance nodded, making sure he didn't miss any information.   
He wished he didn't have to kill anyone, though.   
His father continued, pausing to turn and unlock another set of doors.   
"Now, I could have told you that anywhere. But to be honest, I brought you here to... test one more thing. You see, in your Frost form you still have the ability to use your ice manipulation effectively. But there's something about your form that is stopping you."   
Lance looked over, confused.   
"When you get shot by a bullet for example, you take on effect like a normal human does. But... if we alter that, a different reaction can occur."   
Lance was growing more and more aware of what was going to happen to him from his father's explanation.

"You see Lance, when you took on an effect from that day you got your powers, it seems the powers weren't fully developed within you. We pulled you out too early. And it is my goal to complete the change. To make you reach your strongest point."  
Lance felt a tidal wave of emotions crash over him.  
Memories of the many terrorizing moments doing the tests flashed in his head.   
They were all so horrible.  
So bad that he often woke up in a cold sweat, screaming for it to _stop._

Lance finally agreed to do the process, after _much persuasion_. Doctors roamed around him, attaching sensors to monitor heart rate and blood pressure. They took a small amount of blood, measured him, did a normal checkup to make sure he was healthy. Then, they attached some sort of equipment to various parts of his body that had small tubes that injected into his veins.  
Once he was in the clear, Lance walked through a door to the main testing area.   
The first thing that caught his attention was a pod with a glass door toward the back of the room. It, in some ways, reminded Lance of something out of a sci-fi movie.   
The doctors and his father lead Lance over to the pod.  
Before stepping in, Lance's father placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"Don't fail me."  
Lance looked down, but slowly nodded his head.

A push caused him to stumble into the pod.   
He had no chance to reconsider now.   
The door closed on him, sealing with a strangely satisfying hiss. Lance could barely hear anything outside the pod, only the sound of his own breathing and the rapid beat of his chest. They were getting ready, and then one of the doctors gave a thumbs up to him through the glass. He gave one back in reassurance that he was ready.  
But he really didn't _feel_ ready. There was fear prickling inside him, fear of what would happen to him.

Lance began to feel chilled.   
The temperature of the pod was definitely decreasing, because there was a thin layer of fog coating the glass due to the difference in temperature.  
The cold was durable, to say the least.

Until it wasn't.

Lance didn't know how long he was standing in the pod, but the temperature was obviously below freezing. He was growing uncomfortable. He was able to withstand most cold temperatures, but this was getting to him. He was beginning to shiver and his teeth were chattering violently.   
"Guys... uh, it's pretty cold in here," Lance mused, but no response was heard.

The temperature continued to drop, and Lance was growing weaker and weaker-minded. His limbs were slow to move, and panic began to overcome his senses. At this rate, he would surely die of hypothermia.   
His heart rate was increasing by the second as he became more and more fearful of what was happening to him. His skin was loosing color, and his consciousness seemed dimly fogged.

"Please, I don't think this is a good idea..."  
His pleas did nothing.  
There was no reply.

He wasn't sure at which point in time it was that he started to scream out. It was choked and shrill, filled with anxiety and pain.  
Everything was hurting, but at the same time, he never felt so numb.

One of the doctors flipped a switch.

A soft buzz was heard and Lance felt something.  
A light blue liquid came streaming through the tubes, entering his bloodstream.

Another switch was flipped.

Lance watched in horror as water began to fill the pod.

But the worst part? He couldn't move his limbs efficiently.  
An overwhelming sense of fear filled him as the water kept rising, rising.   
His terrorized screams were quickly cut short.

He was submerged.

Lance's eyes widened.

_Everything was so cold._

The water washed around him, chilling him to the core.   
The breath was quickly slipping from his lungs as he continued to scream and pound on the glass. He resorted to trying to let out tiny amounts of oxygen at a time to buy time.

It only worked for a matter of seconds.

Lance was running out of air.   
The thought of death slowly dawned on him.  
Was this just payback for what he had done?

All the while during his suffering, a single sentence repeated over and over in his head.

_I don't wanna die._

_Please don't let me die!_

Lance could feel the chill now more than ever.  
He could feel it in his bones, digging into his skin. He felt as if he were becoming one with the cold.  
Lance let out the last amount of air he had in a scream.   
His body went limp, his mind, a blank.   
Everything was clouding, hallucinations taking over his vision.

Then?

His efforts were diminished.

He just let go.

There was no pain, just comfort.

His feeble body floated in the freezing water, giving in to the freezing temperatures.

He felt calm, as if all his troubles had vanished. Any existing fear was replaced by a sense of serenity.

His vision was fading and he was lulled into unconsciousness.

The last thought that lingered was

_Cold. Seeping into my veins._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want a blanket now


	20. Fracture Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares are terrible, but others can help you get through it. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My phone formats the text different than the computer or the kindle so sorry about that but ey! I updated!

It was so cold.

Lance felt as if his body had turned to ice, the cold weaving around his veins. He tried screaming for help, but he couldn't move. So he sat in panic as the cold enveloped him, crushing... crushing.......

_Crystallized._

_"Lance! Lance can you hear me?"_

_"Is he breathing? Did it work?"_

_"Lance!"_

_"LANCE!"_

A gasp rattled Lance awake, and he broke into a furious fit of coughing. Hands were grabbing at him and supporting him, but his mind was too groggy to process anything.

Everything seemed wrong.

The lights were too bright, and every motion made his head throb. Sounds were muffled, and there was a high pitched ringing in his ear.

What also seemed... different, was his body.

He wasn't sure what, but everything felt somewhat off.

Over time, Lance began to process everything clearer. He was sitting on a hospital-like bed, two of the lab workers and his father standing over him.

"Ah, there he is!"

Lance's father looked happy, which was a mood Lance rarely saw.

"Did... it... work?"

His father looked to the lab workers, then back to Lance.

"Well, from the outside its hard to tell, but it _seems_ like it was successful, however there's one thing to truely confirm it."

He nodded to the scientists, and backed away.

Lance watched as they pulled out a scalpel, and immediate panic flaired through him. His eyes widened as they brought it down to his thigh.

Lance could feel the sharp edge press down on his skin, but the result was shocking as they dug in.

The skin around the cut was broken, but underneath?

They hit a thick layer of pure _ice_.

Lance couldn't believe what he was watching as they took another tool and chipped off a piece of the ice.

Was this some strange dream?

No, it hurt, but not in the normal way something hurts when you get bruised or cut. It was a pain that was hard to describe, that left a strange sensation inside him.

Lance felt a feeling creep over him, like something inside him was missing.

Something _apart_ of him was missing.

The feeling of a gaping hole and the longing for it to be filled tugged at his chest as he stared at the ice.

Lance's father was amazed, and overly pleased by his work.

"Good, good," he murmured, examining the chunk of ice.

In a way, it looked more like crystal, for it didn't melt, and wasn't too incredibly cold.

After a moment, the lab worker put the crystallized piece of ice back in place and looked at Lance.

"Freeze it."

Lance obeyed, and watched in wonder as his ice powers slowly mended the wound.

Lance sighed, finally feeling content, the nagging at his heart disappearing.

"Now, including this new physical attribute, you will most likely have an increased amount of speed because you are somewhat lighter. But do be careful, even if you are much more difficult to injure, there is a certain point where you will shatter. And these features are believed to be only there when you are transformed. You will still bleed like a normal human when you aren't in your Frost form, so keep that in mind."

Lance's father paused for a moment, thinking.

"But who knows? Maybe you can control that attribute without fully transforming."

Lance nodded, turning his hands over to examine them. Nothing seemed too different about him from the outside, which was fairly relieving.

At least he wasn't transparent.

Lance got up, still feeling shaky from the adrenaline coursing through him.

"Now scoot, it's getting late."

Lance's father was right. He must have been unconscious half the day, because when he checked the time, it was 7:15.

Lance hurried out, calling an Uber.

He just hoped Keith wouldn't be suspicious about his whereabouts.

* * *

Keith was sitting at his desk back at the dorm, staring down at the note Lance left.

Was he okay?

Shouldn't he be back by now?

Thoughts kept cycling through Keith's head, and he ran his fingers in his hair, letting out a loud exhale.

Lance should be back.

It was dinnertime.

With a frustrated grumble, Keith got up and grabbed his jacket. He was hungry, and if Lance wasn't going to come back with food, he might as well get some himself.

Keith walked to the door, but right as he opened it, he came face to face with Lance in the doorway.

The two stood in surprise for a second before Lance said, puzzled, "Keith?"

Keith blinked.

"Where uh... are you going?"

Keith backed up, regaining his thoughts.

"I was actually planning to go out to get some dinner, because you were late to come back."

Keith eyed Lance as he set down a box of pizza on the desk.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't expect it to take so long."

Keith grabbed a plate and put two pieces of pizza on the plate, but as he was doing so, he glanced at the taller boy.

By the way Lance was staring down, lost in thought, it was clear something happened. Not only that, but he looked pale, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Anything you want to share..?" Keith tried, but Lance shook his head, closing his eyes.

"No. I just.... need to rest."

"You're not gonna have any pizza?"

Lance shook his head again as an answer.

"I'm not hungry."

Keith watched in concern as Lance got ready for bed, before plopping down and pulling the covers over him.

It didn't seem like him to be so anti-social.

From what Keith knew, Lance was mostly an extrovert, both in and out of his Frost form. But ever since he came back from prison, there was something casting a shadow over him. The cheerful, flirty, boisterous boy Keith knew was replaced by someone quieter, someone uneasy and secluded.

In a way, even if his body had recovered and had healed, his mental state was deteriorated.

He wasn't himself, to put it in other words.

Keith finished his pizza and threw the plate in the trash before turned off the light. He wanted to ask Lance what was wrong, but lately all Lance did was lash out at him in defense.

 _Maybe tomorrow_ , Keith thought, but he knew it probably wouldn't happen.

He shifted in his covers, trying to get to sleep. After a few unsuccessful minutes, he finally dozed off.

In the middle of the night, Keith woke to a scream. He sat upright in his bed in surprise and looked over to Lance. Lance was laying down, but he was thrashing around in order to get his covers off. Lance let out another cry in the silence of night, his voice cracking.

"Keith! _KEITH!_ "

Keith was up faster than a blink, pinning Lance down to the bed and repeating, "Lance! Lance it's me! It's okay!"

Lance was violently shaking, tears streaming down his face, and a cold sweat coated his body.

His eyes fixed onto Keith, panic flashing in them.

Even in the dark, Keith could see a magnificent blue tint to them. So blue that they looked like fragmented crystals or displayed ice, and they had an odd luminescence to them.

He had never seen them like that before.

"K-Keith," Lance sobbed as Keith sat down on the bed, wrapping his arms securely around Lance's shaking shoulders. Lance scrambled to get a better grip on Keith, surprising the black haired boy. The brunette found himself straddling Keith's lap, latching tightly to him, as if he was the only thing keeping Lance from falling away into an endless void.

All the while Keith held him, shaking in shock himself.

He never, EVER wanted to see Lance like this.

The boy's breathing was racking with sobs, so utterly broken.

Keith held him close, tucking Lance's head neatly under his chin. He brushed his fingers through Lance's hair, lightly rocking him to soothe the distressed boy.

There was a protective instinct flaring inside him. At that moment, he told himself that if anyone tried to harm this boy, they would sorely regret it.

_I'll protect you._

_I'll protect you._

_I'll protect you._

Keith comforted Lance until he was letting out strangled hiccuping sounds, no more tears streaming down his face.

"Keith...?"

"Mmm?"

Lance hesitated for a second before speaking.

"I'm sorry I woke you up..."

Keith stroked Lance's hair, the protectiveness still burning inside him.

"It's okay, I don't mind. Just know that it was just a dream, it wasn't real."

Lance closed his eyes. In a quiet voice he responded.

"A dream... is real to you. While it is happening, you are not normally aware you're dreaming, right?"

Keith was quiet, but shrugged.

"I guess, I mean sometimes..."

Lance continued eyes closed as he remembered the dream.

"So it's a _kind_ of reality. A reality personal to you."

Keith had no way to respond to that.

The two stayed with each other for a while longer, until Keith shifted to get up after reassuring himself Lance was okay.

Lance's hand shot forward, gripping Keith's wrist.

Keith blinked, looking at the distressed boy.

"Don't-" Lance choked out, immediately blushing.

"Can you... stay with me? Just for tonight?"

Keith paused, looking at how anxious Lance's eyes were. Then, he smiled slightly and nodded, crawling into Lance's bed.

Normally, it would have been more awkward to share a bed, but honestly, they couldn't care less at the moment.

It took them a few moments to get comfortable, but they ended up somewhat tangled up in each other, halfway spooning. Lance faced Keith, his face buried in Keith's chest, arms wrapped around Keith's waist. Keith held onto Lance, one hand running his fingers through the soft, brunette hair.

There was no way he would be getting sleep like this.

The concept was incredibly hard to grasp that he had _Lance_ , or _FROST_ currently falling asleep in his arms.

He could just lean over, take Lance's chin and kiss him.

Oh, how he wanted to do that.

But, ever since the first kiss, they hadn't talked about a relationship whatsoever. Keith got the sense that Lance didn't want a relationship.

Keith couldn't blame him.

He crossed the line, and he kissed Lance without asking.

Did Lance even like him?

Thoughts plagued Keith's mind.

He pondered Lance's words as the boy fell back asleep. Lance's breathing had evened out, finally at rest.

_A reality personal to you._

Keith pulled Lance closer, feeling the way Lance let out a sigh in his sleep, burying his face further into Keith's chest.

He wanted his dreams where they were together to be a reality.

Keith shut his eyes and murmured, "You're not alone here, Lance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to read the whole story it’s on Wattpad, completed. I’m trying to space it out here, but honestly I might just start posting each chapter all at once.


	21. Safe With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There was a breaking feeling in his chest. It was an aching, cold, gaping hole.  
> Lance knew he had feelings for Keith.  
> He wanted love and to be loved.  
> But, love was risky. It came with a price.  
> He wanted to spill all his feelings to Keith, showing the other how he truly felt.  
> But he... didn't know how.  
> He couldn't."

  * Lance woke up before dawn the next morning.



He blinked before shifting, until he felt arms wrapped around his torso. Blushing, Lance realized that it was nobody other than Keith.

The thought of Keith, his "rival", sleeping in the same bed gave him goosebumps.  
In some ways, he desperately wanted to escape. To flee and do something that would take away the foreign feelings that were brewing inside him.  
But at the same time, he wanted to grasp onto the moment for as long as possible, because Lance knew it would probably never happen again. He wouldn't feel the warm, protective grip around him. Wouldn't hear Keith's soft breathing as he slept.  
The more and more time Lance spent with Keith, the more he felt as if he was shattering from the inside, split between two worlds.

There was a moments hesitation as Lance decided whether or not to get up. He didn't want to wake the sleeping boy, but at the same time, he knew he had to plan.  
With a quiet exhale, Lance slipped carefully out of the other's grasp, his feet hitting the floor. He then walked to his drawers to change before plopping himself down at the desk and pulling out his computer.  
He pulled up a map, as well as some documents his father sent him. Getting knowledge on what he was up against was his highest priority. It wasn't a good idea to swoop in without any idea on what to expect.

A while later, a shuffle alerted Lance that Keith had woken up. He turned his head to look at the drowsy boy.  
"Good morning," Lance said with slight unease. How was Keith gonna react being in another bed?  
"Mmm.... good morning." Keith propped himself up with his elbow, looking over to Lance.  
Lance lowered his laptop screen.  
"Sleep okay?" Keith asked, concern still flashing in his eyes.  
Lance nodded, looking away. He didn't mention the horrid nightmares that claimed his sleep.  
"Yeah, it was okay. I've had better."  
Keith nodded, stretching before getting up.  
He brushed out his hair before throwing on a plain white shirt. "I'm going to go get some breakfast, because you obviously haven't made an effort to get any food for yourself."  
Lance laughed lightly.  
"Thanks."  
Keith smiled before grabbing his wallet and heading out. Lance watched him leave, before turning down to work again.

When Keith arrived back, Lance had most of the plan figured out. Keith walked in through the door, carrying a bag with pastries.  
Lance couldn't help but take a moment to stare at Keith.  
The early morning light was filtering through the window, illuminating his hair and face. Lance admired his movements, the way he laughed when he explained something about his trip to get the pastries.  
In that moment, Lance felt as if he was home. There was an openness, a bright, safe feeling inside him as he sat there.  
Lance blushed when the two shared a glance at each other, looking away in embarrassment.

There was a breaking feeling in his chest. It was an aching, cold, gaping hole.  
Lance knew he had feelings for Keith.  
He _wanted_ love and to _be_ loved.  
But, love was risky. It came with a price.  
He wanted to spill all his feelings to Keith, showing the other how he truly felt.  
But he... didn't know how.  
He _couldn't._  
When Keith was looking away, Lance buried his face in his hands.  
He couldn't let any emotions get in the way of his tasks. He didn't want to get Keith involved.  
If his father found out about his feelings for Keith and his growing softness toward "Slate", he would be sure to kill Keith.  
Lance remembered his father once said, _"Lance, love is a weakness. A plague that will forever haunt you if you let it grow. Kill that weakness. Let go of those you care about."_  
The thing was, Lance cared about too many people. But maybe attempting to push away any feelings for Keith would keep him safe.  
Keith's voice cut through his worried thoughts.  
"What do you want?"  
Lance blinked, before looking down to the different pastries. "Um," Lance hesitated. "I guess I will have a chocolate croissant and one of those berry things."  
Keith nodded, putting them on a plate and giving it to him. Lance thanked him, digging in. He was, in fact, hungry. He just didn't have any will to take care of himself. Lance let out a small sound of delight from the wonderful taste.  
"Where did you get these?"  
Keith took a bite of his apple strudel before responding.  
"Shiro's family friend owns a bakery a few blocks away. _Altea Coffee and Sweets_."  
Lance nodded, recognizing the name.  
"I've heard of it and passed it but i've never been inside."  
Keith shrugged, taking another pastry. Lance threw away his plate before picking up his phone.  
"I'm gonna make a call, so be quiet."  
He assumed it would be fine to call his dad in the same room, as long as he kept the plan hidden.  
Dialing the number, he waited in tension as it rang.  
After a few seconds, his father picked up.  
"Lance?"  
"Hi."  
"What do you need? Make it quick."  
Lance took a moment to glimpse at Keith before speaking.  
"What date are _they_ coming home from their trip? They don't seem to be home at the moment."  
Lance had already checked the monitors outside the house twice that morning.  
So far nothing.  
There was silence for a moment. The distinct sound of a keyboard clicking away.  
"Tomorrow. Sometime around 5:30 or so."  
Lance nodded, glancing at his computer.  
"Alright... Thanks."  
He hung up.  
Keith was gazing at him, an unreadable expression painted on his face.  
Lance turned away from him, noislessly packing a small backpack.  
"You heading out?" Keith sat up, watching as Lance put on a black hoodie.  
Without turning around, the Cuban boy hummed a response. "I'm going to pay my mom a visit."

With that, he said a soft, "goodbye," and left the room.

* * *

Keith wasn't exactly sure what to do at this point. Lance seemed different, and from the previous night, he was worried something happened that he didn't know about. Even though he's seen Lance break down a few times in front of him, nothing compared to the previous night.  
It made him uneasy.  
Keith sat for a few moments before getting up. Without Lance, he wasn't sure what to do to keep himself busy. Shrugging on his suit, he decided it was best to scout town to make sure everything was okay.  
Maybe assist a few policemen.

Keith hopped from building to building, inspecting the streets below.  
Nothing much happening here so early in the day.  
Keith made his way to the river where he sat down on a bridge, listening to the peaceful sound of the running water, the rustling of the trees, and the melodic song of the birds. He wished he could sit here, forever, free of worry and danger.

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there, but the discordant sound of a scream jolted him back to reality. His senses sharpened, and his head turned toward the direction he heard the noise.  
Another cry pierced the air.  
" _HELP!"_  
Keith shot up, running to the other side of the bridge to look out.  
There was a girl, maybe ten years old flailing in the water. Further up the river, her family's raft was popped and on the shore. They knew they couldn't get to her, the water's current was too strong. The girl was holding onto a loose branch, but clearly slipping, and the mom was panicked.  
"Help! My daughter is going to drown!"  
The husband was doing his best to comfort both his wife and daughter, while his son was at the edge of the water, unsure on how to help.  
Keith turned and booked it off the bridge and down the bank. He stared down the river at the girl, and immediately starting to wade in. The water was freezing, but he didn't care at the moment. All that mattered was saving the girl. He swam further out, and let himself drift to the child.  
Finally, he was in reach of the branch, where the girl was sobbing uncontrollably.  
"Help me, help me please.."  
Keith spoke out words of reassurance. "You're okay, I'm coming. Don't worry, you are going to be okay."  
He grabbed the branch, which let out an untrustworthy cracking sound. She let out a wail, terrified.  
"Its okay! Hey!"  
She looked at him.  
Keith edged closer. "Now, I need you to grab onto my back, okay?"  
She shook her head frantically. "No no no, I _can't,_ I can't do it-"  
"You will be okay! I won't let you go, I _promise._ "

Finally, after much persuasion, she nodded, though she was still clearly petrified.  
With shaking arms, she reached out, letting out a whine of fear.  
In one quick movement, she latched onto Keith, her arms wrapped security around his neck. Keith gritted his teeth with the extra weight, but he maintained balance.  
With much effort, he began to swim back toward shore, trying to keep both their heads above the water. The mother was crying out, fearful as they made their way through the rapid moving river.  
But Keith made it successfully to the shore. His feet found the ground and the water began to shallow out, and he waded to the bank. It was only once they were fully out of the water that Keith let the girl go. They both collapsed on the ground, sputtering. The family was running toward them, letting out exclamations of relief and concern. Once they reached the two, the mother reached for her daughter and scooped the shivering girl up in her arms, crying.  
Keith just sat back and watched the family with a smile.  
When they finally relaxed, they turned to Keith.  
"Thank you so much, oh my god our raft popped on the branch and we managed to get to the shore but she wasn't with us and oh my god we were so scared-" the mother was stumbling over her words, overwhelmed with gratefulness. Keith was patient, and when she broke off, Keith spoke up.  
"It was no problem, I wouldn't have hesitated to help. Just make sure she gets inside, the water is really cold."  
The mother wiped her eyes.  
"I owe you my life. Is there anything I can repay you with?"  
Keith shook his head. "No worries. Thank you for the offer."  
"Please! Let me give you some money-" she began to take out a plastic bag with her wallet in it, but when she pulled out money, Keith didn't take it. Politely, he pushed it back toward her.  
"Really, it's okay. As long as I know that your daughter is safe, that satisfies me."  
The mother still looked hesitant but nodded.  
"Again, thank you. I wish I could repay you."  
Keith smiled, and was surprised when the little girl hugged him.  
"Thank you, thank you, thank you."  
Keith patted her wet head.  
"Anytime."  
She leaned back, the spark of recognition in her eyes.  
"I can't believe I got to meet Slate!"  
Keith blushed slightly, scratching his head in embarrassment.  
"Well, I hope everyone is okay. I need to tend to other duties now so-"  
The mother smiled, "We won't keep you. Thank you so much."  
With a nod, Keith left.  
He had to change out of his wet suit, frowning at the river stench.

Keith went back to the dorm, changing out of his clothes and hopping into the warm shower.  
Even if it took a while to fully clean off, it was worth it.  
He felt content with his work.  
He was excited to tell Lance about the event.


	22. Fun can come at a price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Four bags of chips, Lance," Keith said, taking out his hot cheetos. Reaching in the bag, Keith fished out the chopsticks. Lance stopped all actions to watch Keith as he opened the bag of cheetos and used the chopsticks to take out a hot cheeto.   
> Lance was staring at him like he was crazy.  
> "What the hell?"  
> Keith continued eating, but asked through a smirk, "Do you have problem?"   
> Lance shook his head, taking out his bag of Doritos.   
> "I think you're the problem."   
> Keith laughed, getting his drink out.   
> "Thanks, you're so nice."   
> Lance smirked, shrugging.   
> "I try."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished the book on Wattpad and keep forgetting to transfer the chapters here, apologies haha

Just as Keith suspected, it took a while for Lance to get back from visiting his mother. But when the tall tan boy came into the room, he obviously seemed happy. It was nice to see a real smile on his face again. Refreshing, almost.  
Keith was worried that if he spoke, Lance's happy mood would go away. But, Keith didn't need to say anything, because Lance was quick to speak.   
"Keith! Keith guess what!"   
Keith pretended he hadn't been looking at Lance only a few seconds prior.   
"What's up?"   
Lance made a little skip of delight, bubbling with excitement. "I am one of the main performers for the annual gymnastics show and competition!"   
Keith smiled, happy about how excited Lance seemed.   
"Woah, when is that?"  
Lance leaned on the table, his mouth quirked in a grin.  
"Two weeks from today."   
Keith stood up to get his jacket. "Well, I won't miss it."   
Lance smirked, pretending to swoon. "Oh, because you just can't resist me!" Lance landed on top of Keith, causing the shorter male to stumble.   
"What the hell Lance?!" Keith exclaimed, but it wasn't angry. His voice was coated in laughter, the Cuban laying on top of him with an extremely smug expression on his face.

Keith was growing increasingly aware of how incredibly close they were. Lance's knee was in between Keith's legs, elbows located on both sides of Keith's head. Lance was laughing, that light, infectious sound was numbing to Keith.

Oh, Keith liked the boy too much.

He wanted to tell Lance, but something was stopping him.  
It was like he wasn't _supposed_ to like Lance.  
Lance obviously realized their position because he got up, slightly flustered.  
"Where are you going?" He asked as Keith got up and grabbed his wallet.   
"To the pharmacy down the street. Wanna come?"  
Lance nodded, the same gorgeous smile spread across his lips.  
Locking the door behind them, the two walked out of the building and down the street toward the store.

They didn't speak much on the way there. As they got closer, Keith's attention focused on the pharmacy's sign up ahead. It's big bulging red letters seeming to shout out the name of the store.

They entered the sliding glass doors, greeted by the nice rush of cool air.   
"Lets go get some medicine and some snacks for the dorm," Keith said, and they made their way down the isles. Keith looked back at Lance, noticing the spark of mischief in his eyes.   
When they passed the cosmetics isle, Lance walked over to a nail set including clippers and two nail files.  
"Hey Keith, I think I should buy these for you. You need to cut those cat claws down."  
Keith looked over at confusion for a moment, then saw the set Lance was holding in his hand.  
"No, I think they are a fine length," Keith said with a smirk. He turned and kept walking, leaving Lance to put the nail kit away. They continued, until Keith caught Lance sliding some face masks stealthily into their cart.  
"No."  
Lance looked over to Keith and whined.   
"But Keeeeeith!"   
Keith shook his head, folding his arms.   
"Nope, not doing it."   
Lance frowned and gave Keith puppy eyes.   
"Come ooon," he pleaded, dragging out the O. "It will be fun!"   
Keith sighed in exasperation, giving up.  
"Fine," he cut Lance off before he rejoiced.   
"I'm only doing it because you're an idiot and I feel sorry for you." Lance smirked in triumph and took off down the isle.   
Rolling his eyes and letting a smile claim his own lips, Keith followed.

The two went down the medicine section, picking out painkillers and antibacterials, as well as four packs of bandaids and a load of gauze.   
Just in case.  
As they walked down the food section, Keith stopped to grab a bag of Hot Cheetos. Lance saw the move and quickly followed, grabbing three of his own bag of chips, then a package of Oreos.  
"Great, are we going to buy the whole store?" Keith asked, but a hint of amusement edged his voice.   
"Yep," Lance replied.  
Keith stopped to get chopsticks as they walked down the next aisle. Lance gave him a quizzical stare, furrowing his eyebrows.   
"Chopsticks?"  
Keith glimpsed at him and just let out a, " _Shhhh..._ "  
Lance shrugged, grabbing another bag of chips.

They hadn't even reached the candy section yet.

Lance held his grin as he put candy into his shopping cart, one item after another.  
"Hey Keith."  
Keith was busy trying to decide between Skittles or a Twix bar. "Hmm?"   
Lance was holding a bag of Lifesavers.   
"Are you a lifesaver? Cuz' damn, you sure saved mine."   
Keith stared for a moment, processing. In an instant he pushed Lance in embarrassment, forcing him to fall down. Keith tried to keep his attitude, but soon enough the two were laughing on the floor.

By the time they were finished fishing out endless items, both knew they would be ending up spending a lot of unnecessary cash. As they walked toward the doorway, Keith grumbled, "Don't you dare think about running off without paying."   
Lance had been eying the door, but shrugged.   
"I know, I know. I don't normally steal things without my Frost form."

Even now, it was still a very weird concept for Keith to grasp.

Not wanting to think too deeply into it, they piled everything on the counter.  
Keith was about to pull out his wallet, but Lance beat him to it. The black haired boy was about to protest, but Lance glared at him in warning. Keith shut his mouth, fighting the frustration down. The cashier smiled and bagged up their many items.

They left the shop, and once they were walking alone, Keith spoke up.   
"You didn't have to pay for all of that."   
Lance stopped, looking at Keith. His face showed no anger, and Keith struggled to read his masked expression.  
"Keith, its okay. It was my treat."  
He began walking again before adding flatly, "Anyway, I stole some money from that pharmacy once during the summer. Think of it as returning the money."   
Keith rolled his eyes, but didn't dwell on the subject. Instead, the two walked through the park, the morning bustle of the street fading away slightly, replaced by the chirping of birds. Lance seemed to relax here even more, taking a deep breath. There was silence between them- a comfortable silence. Once they found a bench they sat down, taking out some of their treats.

"Four bags of chips, Lance," Keith said, taking out his hot cheetos. Reaching in the bag, Keith fished out the chopsticks. Lance stopped all actions to watch Keith as he opened the bag of cheetos and used the chopsticks to take out a hot cheeto.   
Lance was staring at him like he was crazy.  
"What the hell?"  
Keith continued eating, but asked through a smirk, "Do you have problem?"   
Lance shook his head, taking out his bag of Doritos.   
"I think _you're_ the problem."   
Keith laughed, getting his drink out.   
"Thanks, you're so nice."   
Lance smirked, shrugging.   
"I try."   
All Keith could do is shake his head.   
_This boy._

They sat and talked for a while.   
About school.   
Experiences.   
Keith told Lance about the river, and Lance poked Keith's cheek.   
"I thought cats hate water!"  
Keith rolled his eyes and snorted, "I'm not a cat. And it was to save the girl."   
Lance let out a thoughtful noise.   
"Interesting."   
Keith looked over and him, now curious.   
"If you were in that situation, wouldn't you go to save her?"  
Lance didn't hesitate.   
"Of course! I wouldn't let a child die, i'm not that type of person." Keith was quiet.   
"But you still decide to murder other people."

Keith regretted saying that the minute it slipped from his mouth.  
He wasn't even sure why he said it.

Lance's mood instantly shifted, his gaze sharpening in irritation. "It's not like you're much better. Think about the men during the school shootout."   
Keith looked up.  
"Those men were not innocent, Lance. I'm talking about the man in the store and-"   
Lance was gripping the bench hard, so hard his knuckles were turning white.   
His eyes were cold as he seethed, "For all you know that man could have killed people too! I didn't WANT to kill him, Keith. I never want to kill anyone because it makes me the monster! I am required to do that, because if I don't my dad will get mad and try to hurt me and threaten to kill my mom!"

Lance stopped, quickly turning his face away.

He said too much.

Keith sat in silence, shocked. He wasn't sure what to say. He just assumed...

"Lance-"  
Lance looked back at him, eyes lost, frustrated, scared.   
"I-I shouldn't have said that."   
He got up to leave, but Keith gripped his wrist. Lance didn't face him.   
"Hey," Keith pleaded.   
"Sit down."

Lance was hesitant, but the grip on his arm told him he didn't have much of a choice. Tentatively, the brunette sat back down, still avoiding the other's gaze.   
"It's okay, Lance. I'm glad you told me, because it really does show you aren't trying to be a bad person. It's just your job, and you can't seem to stop it."   
Lance closed his eyes, and for a second Keith wondered if he was going to start crying.   
Instead, Lance took a deep breath in.   
Released it.   
"It was sort of nice to get it off my chest," Lance admitted finally.  
"We will get through this Lance," Keith murmured.  
Lance nodded, and he finally looked up at Keith.

Indigo met sky blue, and for a second they were lost in each other's gaze.   
Keith hesitantly put his hand on top of Lance's, running his fingers along the other's knuckles. They subconsciously moved closer to each other, as if they were magnetic.  
"Lance..." Keith said in a ghost of a voice.   
They were so close now. Close enough that Keith could feel Lance's breath tickling his nose.  
From here, Keith could clearly see Lance's lightly freckled cheeks on his tan skin. His eyes traveled down, catching how Lance's lips parted very lightly.  
Keith wanted desperately to kiss them.

But, Lance's gaze broke away from Keith a second later, looking behind him.

Keith saw panic flash in his ocean eyes, and before Keith had a chance to speak, Lance shot up and blasted some ice off into the trees. There was a shout, and a man came tumbling out of the undergrowth, his shoulder frozen.

Keith stood up, getting ready for anything to happen.  
Lance growled softly to Keith, "Don't transform," and charged over to tackle the recovering spy.  
Keith had barely enough time to process everything.  
Lance was on top of them, pinning them down in a tight, merciless chokehold.   
In a cold, dangerous tone, Lance spoke.   
"Who the hell are you and why were you spying on me?"   
When they didn't reply, Lance pressed on the man's neck further, transforming his hand into a blade.  
"Was it my father? He sent you, didn't you? TELL ME!"   
The man let out a strangled gagging sound, and Keith was worried for a moment.  
"Lance stop, you're going to kill him!"   
Lance didn't, instead his eyes narrowed, staring at the man. "That's my plan if he doesn't tell me what the hell is going on."

The man finally patted on Lance's arm, signalling defeat.   
Lance released, the man gasping for breath. Keith stood beside the furious boy, ready for anything to happen.   
"Your father sent me to spy on you, yes. His suspicions have been raised about where your loyalties lie, since you have made some new _friends_ over the school year."   
Lance gritted his teeth.   
"That doesn't give him a right to spy on me every move I make!"   
The man grinned. "I think it does."  
Lance had enough.  
He raised his arm to fire an ice blast at the man, but just as he was about to do so, there was a loud gunshot.  
Keith watched in an equal amount of surprise and fear as a bullet pierced Lance's forearm.  
But Lance's arm didn't start bleeding.   
Instead, as if it were glass, it shattered slightly, chips of it falling to the ground.   
Lance winced, a high pitched chime filling the air.   
"What the-" Keith began, but he couldn't finish.   
The man Lance had pinned pulled out a knife. With a swift stroke, the blade lodged right into Lance's already fractured arm.

Lance hissed, gripping the knife to pulling it out. The limb that was attached to Lance only seconds prior fell to the ground, cracking even more as it hit the ground.  
They all stared for a second in astonishment.   
Then, another blast broke through the air, missing Keith by only a few centimeters. Keith jumped back, growling.   
Lance tackled the man who cut half his forearm off and yelled with poison in his words, "YOU'RE DEAD."  
A sickening slice and the man's throat was torn, blood covering Lance's hand.  
Lance turned around to Keith. It didn't even seem that he even registered that he had just killed a man, who was laying, bleeding out on the ground.  
"Are you okay?"  
Keith stared in utter shock before nodding. He looked down at Lance's arm.  
"Are _YOU_?"  
Lance looked down at his other half and nodded.  
Another bullet broke them out of their moment. Lance gritted his teeth and turned toward the direction of the shot. Keith scanned the area, immediately pointing up when he spotted the sniper.   
"The tree!"   
Lance held up his hand and ruthlessly fired shards of ice that went hurling in the man's direction. He let out a cry, before falling from the tree.   
Lance took a breath, looking back at Keith.  
"Help me get them to the dorm."

  * All Keith could do was nod.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything is PEACHY


	23. Truth Can Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter starring: Pidge-doesn't-know-how-to-mind-her-own-damn-business.exe
> 
> Oh. And more trouble of course.

It was a struggle, but they successfully got both men into the dorm without anyone seeing. Keith carried Lance's hand and some of the fallen shards in the shopping bag.   
Lance sat down on the bed, staring at the two dead men on the floor.   
"That wasn't supposed to happen," Lance muttered as Keith gathered the arm and the shards. Sitting down next to Lance, Keith sighed.   
"We didn't really have much of a choice. They heard too much."  
Lance shook his head, pinching the skin between his eyebrows.  
"They probably had radios, knowing my dad. Who knows, they might have already showed my father what's up... you weren't very subtle in hiding your abilities. Your eyes turned yellow at one point. If they saw that, we would be in deep trouble."

Keith was quiet for a moment before asking, "How do you put this back?" He held up the flimsy hand.  
Lance frowned.  
"Bring it over to the table."  
Keith did as he was told, laying down the hand and the shards.   
Lance sat down and laid his broken arm down on the table.   
"Maybe you should watch anyways, in case I ever shatter to the point that I can't fix myself and will need your help."  
Keith nodded, leaning closer to watch the process. Lance took his broken off forearm and put it back into place as neatly as possible. Then he took the shards and placed them in the correct spots before taking his other hand and freezing it over. The shards came together, almost melting back into him. Keith watched, entranced. Lance lifted his arm in front of him, twisting it and wiggling his fingers. "Good as new," he mused, before getting up.  
"I will have to ask about what to do if I get to a point where I can't heal myself and need help."  
"How did you turn into that..." Keith asked, observing the arm. Lance flinched at the question.   
"I visited my dad again," he answered carefully.  
Keith raised his head to look at Lance's expression. It was dark, and Keith could see the unease that the topic brought up.   
"Did he do something to you? What happened?"  
Lance closed his eyes, and with a loud exhale he asked, "Can we not talk about it right now?"   
Slightly taken aback by Lance's tone, Keith closed his mouth and looked away.   
After a few moments of uneasy silence, Keith murmured, "I'm sorry."   
Lance shook his head, staring at the bodies that were covered with a blanket.   
Lance spoke, his voice low.   
"I just want everything to stop..."   
Keith snuck a peak at Lance. The boy wiped a stray tear away, obviously not wanting to be seen crying.  
"I'm sorry I'm such a burden. Especially now, since I have deal with so much _shit._ "  
Keith came over to Lance and hugged him.  
Embracing the broken boy in his arms, Keith closed his eyes.   
"You're not a burden to anyone, Lance. It must be so terrible to feel so alone."  
They stayed like that, comforted by each other's presence.

It wasn't until there was a knock at the door that they broke away from each other. Sharing the same nervous looks, they went over to the door. Keith opened it, blocking most of the view of the inside of the room.  
It was Pidge.  
"Hey, you busy?"  
Keith's eyes widened, checking behind him.   
"Uh... Sort of?"  
Pidge shrugged.   
"Then you don't mind me coming in? Hunk is going to go see a girl named Shay or something."  
Lance shouted from inside, "NO YOU CAN'T COME IN."  
The shorter girl's eyes narrowed.   
"I don't know if that sounds very trustworthy. Why not? Are you two..."   
Keith cut Pidge off mid sentence. "NO. We uh-"  
"Good, then there's no reason I shouldn't be able to come in."  
Keith tried protesting, attempting to blocking her from entering. But with her small build, she easily squeezed past him and into the room. Lance was sitting on the bed, immediately jumping up at the unexpected company.   
"P-Pidge! We told you no!"   
"I told myself yes."  
Keith was inside now, mouthing to Lance, " _sorry!"_  
Lance frowned, glancing at the bodies covered with a blanket on the floor.   
Pidge followed his gaze.   
"Let me guess."  
Lance looked up at her, eyes dark.  
"You didn't want me to come in because your hiding something that _looks_ like two human bodies."  
Lance rolled his eyes.   
"No, we were in the middle of an intense game of Janga."  
Pidge eyed the bodies, ignoring Lance's sarcastic comment.  
"Who are they?"   
Lance looked away. "I- uh..."  
Keith spoke up.   
"Remember the shooters at the school?"   
Pidge gave him a deadpan expression. "No Keith, I don't remember. No shit I do, they shot up our goddamn school!"   
Keith casted a sideways glance at Lance, who was deliberately looking away.   
"Well, these two work with that group."  
Pidge shifted on her feet.   
"So you just decide to go kill them?"  
In defense, Lance whipped his head toward her. "They were spying on us in the trees! And then they started firing their guns! What else were we supposed to do?"  
Pidge was startled by the sudden comment. She clenched her fists. "I don't know! But do you ever consider _not_ killing someone? I mean, do you ever even think about who your killing? Or are you just too selfish to care?"  
Keith could tell Lance was pissed.  
He stepped forward slightly, and yelled, "OF COURSE I DO. EVERY DAY I SUFFER, THINKING ABOUT THE FAMILIES THAT I BROKE APART BECAUSE I HAD TO KILL SOMEONE." He scoffed before continuing. "I don't even get a choice on what I do. I don't like killing people, but its all I have ever been taught to do. Steal, kill, hurt. That's the drill. If I could do something about it I would, but not at the cost of those I love."  
Lance closed his eyes again.   
He opened them, yet they held a eerie glow.  
"So please, don't assume you know everything about me, because you're wrong. You don't know me, and you probably never will."

With that, he stormed out of the room.

Pidge and Keith watched in silence, both speechless. They could almost feel Lance's anger through the sudden chill in the air

"I... I shouldn't have said that..." Pidge murmured after a few ticks. "He will be okay," Keith sighed. "He's just... under a lot of stress at the moment."   
Pidge nudged one of the bodies with her foot.  
"What do you plan on doing with them?"  
Keith looked down at them.   
"I will probably bring them to the police station as Slate. See if we can identity them. They deserve a burial, too, even if they are bad people. It's not right to discard the bodies without their family getting to say goodbye. One of them had a ring..." Keith trailed off, finding it hard to think of that. That they were married. Maybe even had kids.  
Pidge didn't reply for a few minutes. They just sat in silence, wrapped in their own thoughts.  
"You should do that now, while it's still light outside. I'm gonna go back to my room..."

Saying goodbye to the girl, Keith changed and took one of the bodies.   
"Guess I will have to make two trips," he grumbled.  
"Not if you have me."  
Keith turned his head, seeing Lance in the doorway. Or should he say Frost. He was changed into his suit ready to help.  
Keith blinked.  
"What?"  
"I will come."  
Keith shook his head, defiant.   
"Nope. You're definitely not coming. That just spells out disaster."  
Lance was insistent. He grabbed the second body.   
"Let's go. Hold your tongue, kitty. You can't tell me no. I'm not going listen to you."  
"What about your mask?"  
There was a moment of hesitation.  
"I lost it when I went to jail. I need to have my father make another one for me." He raised a finger pointedly in Keith's direction. "BUT that won't stop me from going. Come on. We are wasting sunlight just idling around letting these bodies rot in our dorm."

Keith grumbled, but he didn't object. Instead, they made their way to the window. It was far too dangerous to walk down the hallway of the dorm with two corpses wrapped in sheets. They decided to scale down the building instead, hastily moving in order not to get caught.  
It was dangerous, yes, but they made it.   
From there on, sheer luck was needed in order for them to make it without getting caught.   
Slate and Frost.  
Working together to carry two bodies casually down a street.  
Nothing strange about it.  
It's totally normal for two rivals on opposite sides to not be fighting, instead talking and walking, carrying two corpses.  
Right?  
Obviously not, because they were getting stares. Cameras were flashing.   
Instagram.  
Snapchat.  
Keith wondered how this would affect both his and Lance's reputation, both good or bad.  
No time to think about that now.

By the time they got to the station their presence was obviously known. Multiple cops waited outside, some with a stretcher, some holding guns, their stances alert and eyes mistrustful as they looked at Lance.

"Slate."  
The sheriff stepped forward, eyeing Frost shifting on his feet in the back.   
"What is this?"   
Keith raised his chin.  
"A delivery, sheriff Hira. There was an incident earlier. These two men open fired on both of us. Without Frost's quick thinking, we could have been severely injured, if not dead."

The sheriff ordered some men to take hold of the bodies.  
As they were wheeled off, she turned back to Lance.   
"You were responsible for killing these two men?"  
Keith took a protective step in front of Lance.   
"We both were, ma'am."   
"Slate-"  
The sheriff's eyes narrowed.  
"It must have had to be done if you, Slate, took part in it. Now may I ask you, why were you with Frost in the first place? There has been no crime reports lately involving him, except for one heist at one of our local banks. If I am not mistaken, it appears you two are on good terms at the moment."   
The sheriff casted a glare at Lance, which made Keith feel the need for even more protection. The policemen around the sheriff seemed to be on edge as well, ready for any order to be called out.   
"Frost and I have been discussing some... events. He wanted to help me carry the bodies here."   
The sheriff took a step forward. Gazing right past Keith's tense form to Lance.   
"Frost, are you aware you should be in jail at the moment?"  
Lance didn't respond. He kept his eyes straight forward, piercing though the woman.  
The sheriff looked thoughtful and smiled a non-enthusiastic smile.   
"Oh yes, Frost. You are at the top of our list for our most wanted criminals. You obviously aren't going to be getting out of this just by giving us two bodies and a hollow deal of peace for the time being with Slate. That just won't cut it. I heard about your little show the last time you were in jail."   
The sheriff's gaze shifted to Keith.  
"And I heard your so called rival Slate had something to do with your escape. This time we will make sure something like this doesn't happen again."  
The sheriff gave a silent order, and the guns were raised. 

  1. "So, Frost. How about you turn yourself in without a fight?"



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance, you aren't the smartest coming here. And don't think they didn't forget that you escaped from jail, and caused a few deaths on your way out. And Keith? They haven't forgotten. Just because you are the good guy doesn't mean you are excused from all crimes, isn't that right?


	24. Set Me Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith share a special bonding moment ;)

Lance backed up, and he was shocked to her the low warning growl Keith was making.   
"My deepest apologies ma'am, but that isn't happening."  
The sheriff was obviously surprised Keith was refusing an order.  
"Stand down, Slate."  
"No."  
The sheriff's eyes narrowed.  
"Think about who you are siding with. Frost isn't a trusted ally."  
Keith and Lance exchanged glances at each other.   
Lance stepped forward and leaned in to whisper into Keith's ear.  
" _Back up into to me the moment I make the area hazy. Trust me."_  
Keith nodded, tensing beside Lance.  
Lance had hoped his actions didn't put anyone on edge, but of course they quickly set off red flags. If they weren't already prepared to fire, the squad was now. The guns were raised, and every sense in Lance's body told him to run.   
Run, before they fired.   
But Lance stood firm, remembering the call he had with his father on the way home from visiting his mother.   
_"I was informed by the doctors that you probably will gain more resistance to fracturing after a day or two."_  
Maybe that meant Lance was more bulletproof than before?  
He sure hoped so, because standing up to all these officers, he sorely needed the extra protection.

"Well Frost? What is it going to be? Will you surrender without a fight?"

A few long seconds passed, a period of tension on both ends.  
Lance lifted his chin and gave the sheriff a hostile glare.  
"I will not give up that easily."  
Before the sheriff could respond, Lance gave Keith a signal in a low hiss.  
"Now!"  
Keith backed up, and Lance wrapped one arm around Keith, blowing out a gust of fog to haze the officer's views. There was uncertain shouts.   
Gunshots.   
Lance formed a shield out of ice and turned his body toward the group to protect Keith. Keith was pressed against Lance's chest, yelling out something Lance couldn't process. One guard came running up, firing at Lance's back. A series of high pitched clattering was heard as the bullets hit Lance, and he only felt his back chip slightly.  
Thank god.  
Lance ran forward, still holding onto Keith. He took a flying leapt into the air, forming an ice slide to get himself higher until he landed on the roof of a building.   
Lance hunched over, breathless.   
Keith was crouched, but was looking back at the angered policemen below.  
"We can't stay here. Let's keep going."   
Lance nodded, closing his eyes for a second.   
He wanted rest.

"I told you it wasn't a good idea," Keith grumbled as they started off again, leaping from roof to roof.   
"Yeah yeah. I felt like it was something I had to do."  
Keith was quiet for a second. When he spoke again, it was gentle.  
"Was it because of what Pidge said?"  
A pause.   
Lance leapt to the next roof before responding.  
"Pidge said some truthful things. I feel bad about killing people, I really do. I think I might have wanted to come with you to show my sympathy for those two people. To make a statement of some sort? Maybe to prove I'm not as heartless as I often have to pretend to be? I don't know."  
Keith didn't reply.   
They moved in silence, making sure they weren't being followed.

Keith finally decided to break the silence when they reached the roof of their dorm. Somehow they hadn't been noticed.  
How? They weren't sure.   
Lance had let out a long exhale, leaning against the edge of the building. The sun was setting, the sky a canvas filled with a splashes of vibrant colors.   
It felt as if the day had never happened.  
Keith walked up, joining Lance to stare at the sunset.  
"Thank you for protecting me back there."  
Lance looked at Keith, and they locked gazes for a moment. Then Lance looked away, shy.   
Keith's nearness was putting him on edge.  
"You would have gotten shot if I didn't," Lance reasoned.   
"And that's why I'm thanking you."   
Lance nodded, blushing.   
"How are you? You got shot in the back a few times."  
Lance shrugged.   
"Not bad. It didn't affect me too much."  
"That's good. We should probably patch up the areas that did chip though."  
"Maybe if I...."  
Lance shifted back into his normal form. He put a hand gingerly against one of the areas he had been chipped, before removing it to look at it.   
Just as he suspected, blood lightly coated his hand.   
"I guess if I change back before I am pieced together again the wounds automatically turn into regular wounds."  
Keith pondered that for a moment. "Well you should be careful not to transform back when a limb is missing."   
Lance laughed, but it quickly died off.

They stared out again for a few more minutes, watching the sun kiss the horizon line. The city buildings were charcoal silhouettes against the scarlet sky.

"I was wondering," Keith started, hesitation stopping him for a second before continuing. "Have you always had to deal with your father like this?"  
Lance was startled by the question, but regained himself.  
"Well, pretty much, yeah." He frowned. "You should know, I used to fight you on an almost weekly basis."  
Keith said nothing.   
"I- Sorry," Lance sighed, realizing it came out a lot harsher than he had intended. "I'm just... I don't want to start thinking about everything I'm dealing with at the moment. I don't want to talk about my dad."   
Keith shook his head.   
"No. It's okay. I get it."   
Lance closed his eyes.   
"I just... wish it wasn't so complicated. I want to have more freedom to do what I want. I don't want to keep worrying about what could go wrong, like the possibility of my father finding my mother. I don't want to live in fear every moment of the day. And I don't want to have to fight you again if and when the time comes." Lance hesitated, hoping he didn't sound like a total idiot.  
"I want _time._ I.... want to get to know you, Keith."  
The last part seemed to mildly surprise Keith.   
"Well," he said, looking at Lance with an expression Lance had never seen him make. "What kind of stuff do you want to know?"   
Lance's eyes widened and he blushed, looking away.   
"Wha- I don't know.... What's your favorite color?"   
"Red. Not vibrant, a darker more blood red."   
Lance nodded, smiling.   
"What's your favorite animal?"  
Keith looked away in embarrassment.   
"A hippo."  
Lance started laughing at the answer.   
"A hippo?"  
Keith nodded, turning back to Lance. His face was serious, yet it was so cute Lance had to get a grip in order not to burst out laughing again.   
"Why not a shark? They are super cool and powerful!"   
"Hippos are too! They are really strong! They could probably bite a shark's head off!"   
Lance wheezed.   
"I need to take you to Cuba. Maybe then you will agree with me."   
Keith's eyes grew curious. "Your from Cuba?"  
Lance nodded. "I lived there until I was twelve, then I moved to the USA because of my dad's work."   
Keith took that into note.  
 _Bilingual, then._  
Keith hummed.  
"I've always wanted to go there, actually. It sounds really interesting."   
Lance looked at Keith and said excitedly, "Oooh! Over the summer we should totally go there! The beaches are really nice and we still own a pizza shack over the water because some of my relatives live there. It would be super fun!"   
Keith was taken aback by the offer, and Lance immediately quieted down.  
"That is... if you want to."  
Keith's lips quirked into a fond smile, sending Lance's heart soaring.   
"I'd love that."  
Lance's eyes lowered.   
"Also if my dad doesn't figure out you're Slate... I think he's getting more and more suspicious. He might not even let me go because of the possibility of me not coming back."   
Keith rested a hand on Lance's shoulder.  
"Things will work themselves out, Lance. Don't worry. _We_ will work it out. Together."  
Those words struck Lance hard, because he sucked in a breath.   
Keith's eyes were quizzical.  
"You do know I'm here for you. I've told you before."  
Lance nodded. He felt torn with emotion.   
"Y-eah," Lance said, voice cracking. "It's just so new to me. I've only ever known how to deal with things on my own."  
Keith's eyes were so sympathetic it hurt.  
"You don't have to deal with everything alone, Lance. _Nobody_ should be alone when going through what you're dealing with."  
"Are _you_ alone?" Lance asked.  
Keith looked down.   
"Sort of. My dad was a fire fighter. He died when I was little though. Everyone told him not to go back into the building but he didn't listen. My mom is a cop, and she works a ton so I rarely see her."   
Lance was silent.

"Let me help you, Lance," Keith said softly after a moment.

Lance shook his head.   
"I-I can't let you, Keith."

Lance had already grown far too close to Keith in the short period of time they were roommates. He knew that if his father found out Keith was Slate, he would try to kill him. And Lance couldn't bear to have that happen. But it was hard to separate from Keith now. Lance found himself too often searching for Keith in the hallways. Eager to see him after a long day. He would blush at small remarks and compliments. He wanted Keith, and he knew it. But, he didn't want to risk anything.

Keith's eyes were confused and slightly hurt.  
"Why?" Keith asked, pain flashing in his gaze.   
Lance closed his eyes, a pang of sadness wrenching at his heart.  
"Because I don't want to risk you getting hurt, Keith. If anything were to happen to you, I would never forgive myself."  
Keith's hands gripped Lance's shoulders tightly, and he gazed deeply into the boy's eyes.  
"It's okay, Lance, I will be _fine_. I want to help you. You don't deserve this, Lance. You never did. You're too much of an outstanding, talented person to deserve such pain. I am here for you, and I'm not leaving your side, even if it means it will bring me death."  
Lance wasn't sure on how to respond.

"Please, Lance," Keith's voice was a quiet plea. "Let me help."

Lance's eyes fixed onto Keith's.

Up close, Lance could see how Keith's eyes were flecked brilliantly with every shade of indigo and and violet. Lance didn't want him to look away, and he didn't, instead holding Lance's gaze.   
Keith's eyes were like deep wells.  
Tempting.   
Drawing Lance toward them.   
Toward _him._  
Lance felt the pull of an urge, ushering him to come closer. He only needed to act, to give in to that intoxicating impulse lurking inside him.

Lance leaned toward Keith, who met him halfway.   
But, before they connected lips, Keith spoke softly.

"Lance, is this oka-?"

Lance lunged forward, pressing his lips against Keith's, cutting the sentence short.

_Yes._

They melted into a kiss that made Lance's thoughts spiral out of control.  
As soon as he felt Keith's lips, he realized he had wanted them for a while.

Too long, maybe.

It was the aching, longing feeling of that realization that made Lance surrender. He reached up and snaked his arms around Keith's neck, encouraging the other boy with a tug of his long, dark hair.  
And Keith?   
He was in pure ecstasy.  
Lance's lips tasted cool and sharp, peppermint, winter. His hands, soft on the back of Keith's neck drove him craving for more. So, Keith tugged at Lance's waist, pulling him closer so they could kiss harder.  
Everything made Lance light-headed, as if he had his breath stolen as he took it.

Lance's fingers threaded through Keith's hair, sending a shiver down his spine.   
Keith's hands found the small of Lance's back, feeling the exposed skin there.

He felt as if he were on fire.

This was what Keith had dreamed of happening, and now that it was actually _happening,_ he wasn't sure how long he could last.  
He wanted the moment to last forever, but knew that wouldn't be possible.

With much reluctance, they parted, breathing heavily as they leaned into each other, foreheads touching.  
It felt as if no time passed at all but looking out, the sun was below the horizon and the sky was turning purple.   
Lance breathed in, leaning back slightly.

"I..."

Keith snatched Lance's wrist before he could back up any farther.  
"Wait, don't go..."  
His eyes were searching Lance's, looking for any signs of discomfort or rejection.  
Lance let out a breath of laughter.   
"Let's go inside at least. It's getting dark."  
Keith acknowledged this, and lead the way to the window.

And Lance, for the first time in a long time, felt whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fucking finally.


End file.
